OPINION | DELHI WATERLOGGING: WHO IS TO BLAME?

The first monsoon rains caused a deluge in the capital on Friday, breaking an eight-decades-old record. 228 mm of rains in a span of only four hours recorded the highest June day rainfall in 88 years, leaving five people died and causing waterlogging across the capital. Vehicles were stranded in traffic nightmares for hours, and most of the localities and roads were waterlogged. The civic authorities appeared helpless, as strong winds accompanied by heavy showers uprooted trees and blew away roofs. The most alarming mishap took place at Indira Gandhi International Airport, where the canopy of the forecourt of Terminal One departure gates, crashed on to vehicles, leaving a cab driver Ramesh Kumar dead and eight others injured. Huge iron girders fell on vehicles parked below the canopy. Flight operations at T1 were immediately suspended and shifted to T2 and T3. Nearly 128 flights were cancelled. The new Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu went to the airport and coordinated rescue operations. The Centre has ordered a nationwide audit of all airports by undertaking detailed structural inspections, so that all safety standards are met. Political blamegame soon began, with BJP leaders pointing out that the canopy was built in 2009 during UPA regime, while Congress leaders alleged that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the new Terminal One in March this year. Praful Patel, who was Civil Aviation Minister in 2009, claimed that one of the world's top companies had built the roof canopy of Delhi airport's Terminal One, and only a thorough inquiry can pinpoint the exact cause of the mishap. A similar mishap took place on Friday at Jabalpur airport, where a part of the canopy crashed down after heavy downpour. Whether it is Delhi or Jabalpur, such mishaps should be a reason for worry. The question is not about when these roofs were built under which regime. The question relates to regular maintenance, accountability must be fixed and the guilty should be punished. Airports Authority charges hefty fees from flyers for maintenance of airports. Political parties should avoid making political capital from tragedies. It would be unfair to blame Prime Minsiter Modi for such mishaps. 

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