Expert panel formed to probe Delhi airport canopy collapse, HC told
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Monday closed the proceedings on a PIL seeking an investigation into a recent incident at the IGI airport here, in which a portion of a canopy collapsed amid heavy rains and led to the death of a taxi driver, after it noted that a high-level expert committee has been formed to look into it.
A bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan was informed that several steps have been taken by authorities, including the registration of an FIR for allegedly “causing death by negligence” and “causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others” under the Indian Penal Code, and the expert committee, comprising engineers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) will submit its report in the matter.
“In view of the aforesaid steps that have been initiated, the present writ petition is closed,” the bench, also comprising Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, said.
A taxi driver was killed and six people were injured after a portion of the canopy at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport’s Terminal-1 collapsed on cars amid heavy rains on June 28.
The petitioner, Civil Safety Council of India, had sought a probe by a “multidisciplinary Special Investigation Team”, headed by expert engineers or an agency like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), to assess the quality of building construction, its project approval and clearances from civil agencies.
The petitioner had highlighted that within a short span of time, there were three instances of structures collapsing in three airports -- in Delhi, Rajkot and Jabalpur -- which raises serious concerns with respect to the safety of the public and the state of structural integrity of the airports.
The petitioner had requested the court to allow him to “assist” the probe ordered by the authorities and also direct that the report of the inquiry be made public.
Turning down the requests, the court said, “IIT-Delhi is there. That is good enough.”
It further said the petitioner can apply for the report under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The counsel appearing in the court on behalf of the Union aviation ministry said besides the formation of the committee, the ministry has also directed all airport operators to get a third-party audit carried out in relation to the structural stability of the airports by reputed institutions, such as the IITs and national institutes of technology (NITs).
The counsel also said the airport operators have been asked to carry out an evaluation of the civil, technical and electrical aspects of their respective airports before the onset of monsoon every year.
The court was further told that all airport buildings are built in accordance with the standards laid down in the National Building Code or by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The Airports Authority of India said 88 airports have already completed their structural audit and initiated the required remedial
measures. With Agency Inputs