Congress MP Hibi Eden attacks Centre over Delhi airport roof collapse, says "PM needs to answer many questions"

"We are not receiving rain for the first time but during the BJP regime, accidents are happening and people are losing lives during rain," Eden told ANI.

"It is high time that the quality of these airports, materials used in these airports, and people involved in construction have to be brought under the scanner. Government of India, Civil Aviation Department, and PM Modi have to answer many questions," he added.

The canopy collapse incident took place at Terminal 1 of Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Friday morning, killing one person and injuring eight others.

The airport authorities announced on Saturday that operations at Terminal 1 will remain suspended till further notice.

Terminal 1 handles domestic flights, including those by IndiGo and SpiceJet. All operations have been temporarily shifted to Terminal 2 and Terminal 3.

"Flight operations at Delhi airport are normal and operating from Terminal-2 & 3 only. All flights from Terminal-1 have been shifted to Terminal-3 and Terminal-2," Delhi airport said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, DIAL announced that a technical committee has been formed to investigate the cause of the canopy collapse at Terminal 1.

In a statement issued on Friday, the DIAL said the technical committee will give the report as soon as possible. "Due to heavy rains and winds through the night in Delhi, a canopy at the old departure forecourt of Terminal 1 (T1) partially collapsed around 5 am this morning. While the cause for the collapse is being assessed, the primary cause seems to be the continued heavy rainfall over the past few hours," the DIAL said.

The statement added, "Rescue operations were launched immediately by the Delhi Airport Emergency Response Team including Fire Fighting, Medical Team, and Operations, who provided all necessary support and assistance. Evacuation of passengers and all other individuals from T1 was the first priority and complete evacuation has been undertaken."

DIAL further said that it is working with all relevant agencies, including the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Bureau of Civil Aviation (BCAS), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Delhi Police, and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), to assess the situation and restore operations.

The statement also noted that four vehicles were damaged in the incident, and the eight individuals, who received minor injuries were provided immediate medical assistance at the Medanta Centre at Delhi Airport. The injured were later shifted to ESI Hospital and Indian Spinal Injury Centre (later referred to Safdarjung Hospital) for further medical supervision as required. Unfortunately, one fatality was reported in the incident.

DIAL has extended support to the affected individuals and the family of the deceased, announcing a compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the family of the deceased and Rs 3 lakh each to those who sustained minor injuries.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Minister of State (MoS) for Civil Aviation and Cooperation, Murlidhar Mohol, on Saturday criticized opposition leaders for politicizing the Delhi airport canopy collapse incident, which resulted in one death and eight injuries on Friday morning.

"It is wrong to bring politics into every issue. Some leaders commented and tweeted that it was inaugurated in 2024 during PM Modi's time, but this happened in 2008. In the incident that happened yesterday, one person died and five to six people were injured, so politics should not be involved at such a time," the MoS told ANI.

Mohol also assured that the Civil Aviation Ministry has taken precautions to prevent such accidents in the future.

"When this incident happened, our Cabinet Minister, Civil Aviation Ministry decided to conduct a structural audit of our terminals across the country. We have taken precautions to ensure that such accidents do not happen in the future," he added. (ANI)