Gone with the wind

Our Motoring editor was witness to the chaos at Delhi airport.

Laptops were shut in a hurry, warm coffee cups were abandoned and bags were left unattended as people ran for cover. What looked like a romantic, if cloudy ,evening ended up as a nightmare, as the wind unleashed its fury on the brand new domestic airport terminal at New Delhi.

It started off with the sound of metal twirling; then it became even noisier, with the wind gushing. The fused panels of thin sheets started flying off the roof, exposing the major flaws of the rather flashy looking airport building.

In no time, the electric supply went off. The huge terminal building became exposed to the elements as the rain drove straight in. Personnel manning the food counters ran for cover, while shopkeepers dashed around to save their goods. The staff at Swarovski tried to protect their precious ware and the folks at Hidesign tried to minimise damage to their leather products. Meanwhile, passengers watched bewildered, while others used their mobile phones to make short documentaries on the new state of the airport. Foreign tourists — some wearing swine flu masks — ready with their digicams and hand-held video recorders, also went ahead and recorded this shameful incident for posterity.

It took 20 minutes for the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel to reach the affected area and they started despatching passengers outside the terminal building. When quizzed, a senior CISF officer said they were not sure about the structural integrity of the building, which is why they were moving people. But people still milled around.

Other airport personnel swung into action after half-an-hour for a mopping-up operation of what looked like a flood-hit airport. People hung around in dry corners, wondering when their flights would eventually leave. Your correspondent was looking up at the gaping holes in the roof, watching the rain continue to pour, as he waited for 9W334 to take him back home to Mumbai.