New Delhi (PTI): The government on Monday said all airport operators have been directed to carry out a third party audit of structural stability of airport buildings and associated infrastructure.

Besides, they will conduct a thorough evaluation of all civil, electrical and technical aspects of the buildings before the onset of monsoon every year.

The directives came in the wake of roof collapse incidents at three airports last month.

During heavy rain, forecourt canopy collapsed at Terminal 1D of the Delhi airport on June 28. Also, the kerb area canopy made of tensile fabric, a non-structural element, was damaged at Jabalpur and Rajkot airports on June 27 and 29, respectively.

In 2023-24, an amount of Rs 795.72 crore has been spent on Repair and Maintenance (R&M) works at 121 airports of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), as per official data submitted to the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu told the Upper House that the ministry has constituted a high-level expert committee consisting of structural engineers from IIT Delhi to assess the incident at the Delhi airport and submit its report.

"Further, all the airport operators have been directed to carry out a third party audit of structural stability of airport buildings and associated infrastructures through a reputed government institution/body such as IITs, NITs, CBRI, EIL etc.

"All the airport operators have also been directed to carry out a thorough evaluation of all civil, electrical and technical aspects of the building, including the design, specifications and workmanship of the roof sheeting structure before the onset of monsoon every year," the minister said in a written reply.

Aviation regulator DGCA carries out regular audits in the form of surveillance inspections/spot inspections to ensure compliance to these standards.

In a separate written reply, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said the Airports Authority of India has initiated investigations to determine the root cause of incidents at Jabalpur and Rajkot airports.

Barring the Covid years, expenditure on Repair and Maintenance (R&M) activities in absolute terms at the airports has increased, Mohol said in another written reply while providing expenditure details for R&M activities at AAI airports.

"Expenditure on repair and maintenance as a percentage of revenue is not an appropriate metric to assess movement of the expenditure over a period of time since revenue can increase owing to various factors which have no bearing on the R&M expenses.

"... alternatively, R&M expenses can also increase due to various factors (i.e. life of the assets, normal wear & tear, annual maintenance contract/ comprehensive maintenance contract costs charged by vendors etc) which may not affect revenue," the minister said.

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Pune, Feb 10 (PTI): Amidst high drama, former Maharashtra minister Tanaji Sawant’s son Rishiraj was brought back to Pune along with two friends on late Monday evening, cutting short their trip to Bangkok, hours after police filed a kidnapping case, officials said.

According to Ranjan Kumar Sharma, joint commissioner of police, Rishiraj Sawant (32) and his two friends had booked a chartered plane for Bangkok without informing his family, but an anonymous phone call spoilt their travel plans.

After police registered a kidnapping case following the anonymous call made to the control room, his whereabouts were traced and he was brought back to Pune along with his friends, he said at a hurriedly convened press conference.

"Our police control room received a call around 4 pm in which an anonymous caller informed us that Rishiraj was taken away by some unidentified people. Accordingly, we swung into action and registered a kidnapping offence.

"During the probe, it was revealed Rishiraj along with his two friends had booked a chartered plane for Bangkok. We tracked the flight and contacted the airline for the aircraft's return. The flight has now returned to Pune with three passengers, including Rishiraj," informed Sharma.

"We will enquire and find out the purpose of his trip to Bangkok and why he did not inform the family about his travel plans," the police officer said.

While replying to a question, Tanaji Sawant, who was present at the police briefing, denied any dispute with his son.

According to police sources, the flight to the Thailand capital was booked for Rs 78 lakh.

The former minister said he contacted police after coming to know his son had left for the airport with friends without informing the family.

A week ago, Rishiraj Sawant had gone to Dubai, but this trip was known to family members, said the senior politician.

Asked about the police machinery going into an overdrive to trace his son and bring him back, the former minister maintained was worried as a father.

Joint commissioner of police Sharma said the anonymous call indicated Rishiraj Sawant was taken away by unidentified people and on that basis, an FIR of kidnapping was registered.

The IPS officer opined that in such cases, things do not proceed unless an FIR is registered and that is why police moved quickly and filed an offence.