In yet another incident of infrastructure damage due to heavy rainfall, a canopy collapsed at the passenger pickup and drop area outside Rajkot Airport in Gujarat on Saturday. This incident follows similar occurrences across India, including a tragic incident at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) just a day earlier.
Fortunately, preliminary reports indicate that there were no injuries or casualties in the Rajkot incident. Sources from the Ministry of Civil Aviation stated that the collapse occurred during maintenance work aimed at clearing accumulated water from the canopy. Repair efforts are currently underway, and authorities have initiated a detailed investigation into the cause of the collapse.
Gujarat has been experiencing heavy rainfall as the southwest monsoon progresses through the state. In response to the forecast of continued heavy rainfall in various districts, seven teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed across Kutch, Rajkot, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Gir Somnath, Bhavnagar, Narmada, and Valsad districts.
This incident comes just a day after a roof collapse at Terminal 1 of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport resulted in the tragic death of a cab driver and injuries to eight others. Operations at Terminal 1 have been indefinitely suspended following the incident, which occurred during early morning hours amidst adverse weather conditions.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu has announced compensation of ₹20 lakh to the family of the deceased driver and ₹3 lakh each to those injured. The ministry has also ordered structural inspections at all airports nationwide to prevent future incidents.
Earlier in the week, a similar incident occurred at Jabalpur airport in Madhya Pradesh, where a fabric canopy collapsed due to water accumulation, damaging a parked car but causing no injuries.
Sources By Agencies
