Delhi airport roof collapse: ‘Corruption and criminal negligence’, Congress takes a jibe at Modi govt on ‘shoddy infra’

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday accused the Narendra Modi government of “corruption and criminal negligence” in recent infrastructure projects, including in the collapse of the Delhi Airport Terminal 1 roof, the leakage at Ayodhya Ram Mandir, and others.

In a post on X, Kharge wrote, “Corruption and criminal negligence are responsible for the collapse of shoddy infrastructure falling like a deck of cards, in the past 10 years of Modi Govt.”

The Congress leader listed several infrastructural failures of the Modi government. These include the Delhi Airport (T1) roof collapse, the Jabalpur airport roof collapse, the abysmal condition of Ayodhya's new roads, Ram Mandir roof leakage, cracks in the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link road, the collapse of 13 new bridges in Bihar in 2023 and 2024, submerge of Pragati Maidan Tunnel and the Morbi bridge collapse tragedy in Gujarat.

The Congress chief said that these stark instances exposed PM Modi and BJP's tall claims of creating "World-Class Infrastructure.” Mallikarjun Kharge added that the Prime Minister had called himself “doosri mitti ka insaan” while inaugurating the Delhi Airport Terminal 1.

“All this false bravado and rhetoric was only reserved for quickly indulging in ribbon-cutting ceremonies before Elections! Our heartfelt condolences to the victims of the Delhi airport tragedy. They bore the brunt of a corrupt, inept and selfish government,” Kharge added.

Responding to these remarks, Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu clarified that the building inaugurated by PM Modi at Delhi Airport is on the other side, not at Terminal 1. 

“I want to clarify that the building inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi is on the other side, and the building that collapsed here is an old one which opened in 2009,” the minister said after announcing a compensation of ₹20 lakh for the deceased and ₹3 lakh for the injured.

Delhi Airport Terminal 1 roof collapse

One person died and six people were injured after a portion of the roof of the Delhi airport's Terminal-1 fell on cars, including taxis, amid heavy rains early Friday, Delhi Fire Services (DFS) officials said.

The officials said many vehicles were damaged in the incident, which was reported to the DFS around 5:30 am. They added that the injured persons have been shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said, “Personally monitoring the roof collapse incident at T1 Delhi Airport. First responders are working at the site. Also, adviced the airlines to assist all affected passengers at T1. The injured have been evacuated to hospital. Rescue operations are still ongoing.”

The roof collapse incident has affected flight operations in the national capital, with SpiceJet and IndiGo temporarily cancelling services till the situation improves at Delhi airport. 

Due to the heavy rain in Delhi, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has closed entry and exit at Yashobhoomi Dwarka Sector - 25 Metro station. The DMRC  has also suspended the shuttle service from Delhi Aerocity Metro station to Terminal 1-IGI Airport.

Ayodhya Ram Mandir roof leakage

The Ayodhya Ram Mandir's roof is reportedly 'leaking' amid the onset of monsoon 2024. The holy shrine's chief priest, Acharya Satyendra Das, while expressing 'surprise' at the incident, said, “So many engineers are here, and the Pran Pratishtha was held on January 22, but water is leaking from the roof. Nobody would've thought this.”

The chief priest of Ram Mandir said the temple's roof started leaking right after the first rains. Acharya Satyendra Das said water leakage started specifically near the location where the Ram Lalla idol is housed. He mentioned that the newly constructed Ram Temple lacks proper drainage, causing water to leak from above and accumulate near the idol.

The chief priest's comments underscore doubts about meeting the July 2025 construction deadline for the Ram Temple while emphasising the need for scrutiny into recent water leakage issues near the revered Ram Lalla idol.