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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We need to create system in which people's skills get their due: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi (PTI): Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi Friday called for creating a system in which people's skills get their due and everyone's contribution is respected, as he shared a Diwali video in which he interacts with paint job workers and potters.
Posting the over nine-minute video which features him also having a conversation with his nephew Raihan Rajiv Vadra on YouTube, the former Congress chief said, "A memorable Diwali with special people - I celebrated this Diwali working with some painter brothers and making earthen diyas with a potter family."
"I saw their work closely, tried to learn their skills and understood their difficulties and problems. They don't go home. We celebrate festivals happily and to earn some money, they forget their village, city, family," Gandhi said.
"They make happiness from clay. While lighting up the festivals of others, are they able to live in light themselves? Those who build houses can hardly run their own houses!" he said.
Gandhi said Diwali means light that can remove the darkness of poverty and helplessness.
"We have to create such a system -- in which people's skills get their due and contribution is respected -- makes everyone's Diwali a happy one. I hope this Diwali brings prosperity, progress and love in the lives of all of you," he said.
In the video, Gandhi is seen working with labourers at the 10 Janpath residence and learning to paint walls along with his nephew. In the second part of the video, Gandhi goes to the house of a woman who makes earthen lamps with her five daughters.
Gandhi tries his hand at pottery and makes 'diyas', which he says he would give to his mother and sister.
Since his Kanyakumari to Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra and his Manipur to Mumbai Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Gandhi has been interacting with a cross-section of people from mechanics and cobblers to labourers and bus drivers.
He often posts videos of his numerous interactions and highlights the plight of various sections of society.
