All airport operators to conduct third party audit of structural stability of buildings
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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Mandaviya opens ESIC hospital in Doddaballapur, lays foundation for facility in Ballari
Bengaluru (PTI): Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Sunday inaugurated the newly constructed 100-bedded ESIC Hospital at Doddaballapur near here.
He also laid the foundation stone for a 100-bedded ESIC Hospital at Ballari, remotely from Doddaballapur.
Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje, Chikkaballapura MP K. Sudhakar, and Doddaballapur MP Dheeraj Muniraju were among those present.
These healthcare facilities mark a significant milestone in strengthening healthcare delivery under the Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) Scheme in the region, officials said at the event.
As a special gesture, the union minister of labour and employment also honoured construction workers who contributed to the development of the hospital and disbursed cash benefits to ESI beneficiaries during the event.
The Doddaballapur facility will serve over 1,42,037 insured workers and their families, benefiting approximately 5.5 lakh beneficiaries across Bengaluru Rural, Chikkaballapur, Tumakuru, and Kolar districts, according to a release.
The Ballari facility, upon completion, will cater to the medical needs of around 64,000 workers and their families, benefiting over 2 lakh beneficiaries in the Ballari division, it said.
The ESIC Hospital at Doddaballapur in Bengaluru Rural is a 100-bedded multi-speciality secondary care facility built over 5 acres at Rs 101.14 crore.
It has 32 staff quarters and offers key services such as general medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, orthopaedics, emergency care, and comprehensive diagnostic facilities, including radiology, laboratory, and blood bank.
The proposed ESIC Hospital at Ballari will be developed on 5.21 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 150 crore and will provide modern healthcare services to insured persons and their families under the ESI Scheme.
