After importing a glass curtain wall from China, the private developer of IGI Airport will soon get 42 Chinese workers to install it at the under-construction terminal building, T3.

The 42 Chinese nationals have been issued temporary work visas, officials said.

While Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) had sought work permits for 200 workers from China for a period of 90 days from the Ministry of Labour, officials said clearance for 160 more are still awaited. DIAL officials said the 42 Chinese nationals will soon be on their way to India.

DIAL is the GMR-led consortium undertaking expansion and modernisation of the Indira Gandhi Airport.

The job of installing these glass curtains on terminal wall needs specific skills, and the work is getting delayed for lack of skilled manpower at present, a senior Civil Aviation Ministry official said. “Since the glass has been imported from China, the manpower would also have to come from there with requisite skills,” the ministry official said.

According to officials, arrival of the Chinese experts would expedite work and the terminal, facing delays, would be ready well in time for the Commonwealth Games next October.

DIAL officials said the installation can be done only by Chinese experts trained in such sophisticated construction; they said the Chinese nationals would also train Indian workers in the installation process and subsequent maintenance of the glass curtain.

The task involves installation of a heavy glass that will make a two-inch thick curtain for the upcoming terminal building. The glass panels have come from China’s Yuanda Aluminum Industry Engineering Company Limited.

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