FROM LEAKS TO CANOPY COLLAPSE: HISTORY OF ROOF INCIDENTS PLAGUES DELHI’S TERMINAL 1

Friday’s canopy collapse incident at Terminal 1 of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), while being the biggest accident involving the terminal’s roof, was not the first. In 2009, the then brand new Terminal 1D had a couple of roof-related incidents, including one where some roof panels were blown away by strong winds and the terminal was consequently flooded due to leaking roof panels. While not leading to casualties or injuries, the incidents had disrupted airport operations.

While the revamped and integrated Terminal 1 was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this year, the portion where the roof collapsed was part of the original Terminal 1D built 15 years ago, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said Friday. Naidu’s clarification came amid sharp attacks from some Opposition leaders, who alleged that an incomplete terminal was hurriedly inaugurated by Modi in view of the general election.

The Prime Minister had inaugurated the revamped Terminal 1 on March 10.

Terminal 1D was the first new terminal built after the GMR group-led Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) took over the Delhi airport from government-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI). The terminal was designed by architect Hafeez Contractor, while Delhi-based BL Kashyap & Sons was the construction contractor for the project. According to sources in the know, Tata Consulting Engineers served as the project management and quality control consultant for the project, while Tata BlueScope Steel was the roofing contractor. All of them had assisted a DIAL committee that was set up to look into the likely causes of the incidents back then. Queries mailed to BL Kashyap & Sons, Tata Consulting Engineers, and Tata BlueScope Steel on Friday’s incident and their involvement in the construction of the terminal remained unanswered till press time. Queries sent to DIAL on the structural maintenance of Terminal 1 did not elicit a response.

There was some speculation that engineering major Larsen & Toubro was also involved in the Terminal 1D project when it was first constructed but the company denied any involvement. It did, however, undertake the Terminal 1 expansion project in 2019 and was commissioned in March this year.

“We want to clarify that L&T did not construct the collapsed structure, nor are we responsible for its maintenance. The structure in question was built by another company in 2009...The collapse occurred approximately 110 metres from the extended portion of T1...We confirm that the collapse has had no impact on this extended portion,” L&T said in a statement.

Following Friday’s incident, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has ordered a probe by aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and structural engineers from IIT Delhi have been asked to assess the incident. MoCA said that further examination will be decided based on the initial findings of the IIT Delhi team.

DIAL has also been directed to undertake a thorough inspection, which will be supervised by the DGCA. Additionally, the AAI has been directed to issue a circular to all airports in the country “to conduct a thorough inspection of structural strength”.

It is worth noting that on Thursday, a portion of the canopy at the new terminal building of Jabalpur airport in Madhya Pradesh caved in and fell on a car after heavy rainfall. No one was injured in that incident. In Friday morning’s incident at the Delhi airport, however, one person was killed and few others were injured.

Then on Saturday, in the third such incident in three days, portion of a canopy just outside the terminal building at Rajkot airport partially collapsed amid heavy rainfall. No injuries were reported in the incident. Heavy rainfall also led to significant leakage from the roof of the newly-inaugurated Terminal 3 at the Lucknow airport.

 

For the latest news from across India, Political updates, Explainers, Sports News, Opinion, Entertainment Updates and more Top News, visit Indian Express. Subscribe to our award-winning Newsletter Download our App here Android & iOS

2024-06-30T00:09:48Z dg43tfdfdgfd