Parts of Port Blair Airport building's ceiling collapse days after inauguration by PM Modi
Port Blair, Jul 24: The Andaman airport, which is being enlarged, witnessed a portion of the false ceiling falling off due to heavy winds after it was loosened to allow CCTV cameras to be fixed.
The false ceiling in front of the ticketing counter, outside the terminal building, had been loosened for the adjustment of CCTV works and final alignment, officials said on Sunday.
The airport's new integrated terminal, which is yet to be made functional, was virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi a few days back.
"It is a minor incident. The installation of CCTV cameras was going on. The wiring for such cameras needs to be done behind the panels and there might be some fixing issues. We have addressed the issue, and the matter has been resolved," an airport official told PTI.
PM Modi had on July 18 virtually inaugurated the new integrated terminal building of the Veer Savarkar Airport in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
In a statement, the airport authorities said the false ceiling in front of the ticketing counter, outside the terminal building, has been loosened for the adjustment of CCTV works and final alignment.
"On the night of July 22, there was heavy wind, which uplifted the false ceiling from the bottom since the wind was not able to escape towards the ticketing counter area.
"Due to this, around 10 sqm of false ceiling became dislocated, but the same has been rectified. The false ceiling inside the terminal building is intact, and no damage occurred to any of the installations inside the terminal," the statement issued by the airport said.
After inaugurating the new terminal building, PM Modi had on Tuesday said that tourist inflows to Andaman and Nicobar Islands have doubled since 2014 and will increase manifold in the coming years due to the development of infrastructure in the archipelago.
The terminal building is shaped like a shell, depicting the natural environs of the archipelago.
Due to a surge in passenger traffic, the Airports Authority of India constructed the new terminal building at an estimated cost of Rs 707.73 crore, another official said.
With a total built-up area of 40,837 sq metres, the new building will have the capacity to handle 1,200 passengers during peak hours and around 40 lakh passengers annually.
Not so good news ... the ceiling of the new Veer Savarkar International Airport drops. #Andaman pic.twitter.com/yhjUOnXfQF
— Andaman Chronicle (@AndamanNews) July 23, 2023
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BJP workers protest Bengaluru event on Umar Khalid, taken into preventive custody
Bengaluru (PTI): BJP workers, led by former Bengaluru Mayor M Gautham Kumar, staged a protest outside the heavily fortified BIC in the city on Tuesday ahead of an event.
The editors of the book “Umar Khalid and His World” have planned a reading of excerpts from the book at the venue, followed by a discussion involving several “historians and intellectuals”.
The BJP activists raised slogans demanding the cancellation of the event. They attempted to enter the venue by breaking through the barricades put up by the police.
Police personnel deployed at the spot took the BJP workers into preventive custody.
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The party had on Monday petitioned Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh seeking cancellation of the event organised in support of activist Umar Khalid.
A delegation of BJP leaders led by Bengaluru Central MP P C Mohan met the commissioner and submitted a memorandum in this regard.
Khalid is currently in jail in connection with allegations of conspiracy in the 2020 Delhi riots.
In a post on ‘X’ earlier in the day, the Karnataka BJP alleged that while courts are still hearing cases related to anti-national activities, the Congress-backed ecosystem is busy glorifying individuals who aim to divide Bharat.
“Why is Bengaluru being turned into a hub for celebrating such elements? Is this the ‘cultural contribution’ the Siddaramaiah government wants to promote? Our city is a land of innovators and patriots, not a playground for the ‘Tukde Tukde’ (divisive) narrative,” it alleged.
The Supreme Court on April 20 dismissed Khalid’s plea seeking review of a verdict denying him bail, observing that there are reasonable grounds to believe the allegations against him in connection with the conspiracy behind the 2020 Delhi riots.
The court had earlier said there was a prima facie case against Khalid and Sharjeel Imam (another accused) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), noting that prosecution material suggests their involvement in the “planning, mobilisation, and strategic direction” of the riots.
The February 2020 riots in northeast Delhi broke out during protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), leaving 53 people dead and more than 700 injured.
