Just five days after Prime Minister Modi inuagurated the new integrated terminal building or NITB of the Veer Savarkar International Airport at Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, visuals on Sunday showed parts of the ceiling collapsing.
The inauguration ceremony, held earlier this week, was also attended by Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister of State for Road, Transport, and Highways, and Civil Aviation, General (Retd) VK Singh, along with several senior officials.
After the visuals showed ceiling of the area of the building dropping, netizens questioned the quality of work that has resulted in such collapse within a week of inauguration.
After the pictures and videos of the collapsed parts went viral, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took to Twitter to take a swipe at Pm Modi.
"The Prime Minister will inaugurate anything these days — even if it’s unfinished or substandard infrastructure (highways, airports, bridges, trains, etc) More than willing ministers anxious to boost their Sensex with him oblige. It’s the taxpayers and citizens who pay the cost. Such a sorry state of affairs in ‘New India’!" Ramesh wrote.
PM Modi had inaugurated NITB on July 18, Tuesday.
"The new integrated terminal building at Veer Savarkar International Airport, Port Blair, will ensure easier travel to Andaman and Nicobar islands. This will be a big boost for tourism in particular. The building will be inaugurated tomorrow, 18th July, at 10:30 AM," PM Modi had tweeted prior to the inauguration.
The terminal building of the airport is designed in the shape of a shell, beautifully portraying the natural surroundings of the islands. To maximize natural illumination, the entire terminal will enjoy 100% natural lighting for 12 hours each day, made possible by strategically placed skylights on the roof.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) undertook the construction of the NITB in response to a notable increase in passenger traffic. The project was completed at an estimated cost of ₹707.73 crore.
Covering a total built-up area of 40,837 square meters, the new terminal will have the capacity to cater to 1,200 passengers during peak hours and accommodate approximately 40 lakh passengers annually.
The three-story building will be well-equipped with 28 check-in counters, three passenger boarding bridges, and four conveyor belts to ensure smooth and efficient operations.
