“Why Step-Motherly Treatment?”: HP High Court Questions Centre Over Shimla's Exclusion From UDAN Scheme

Himachal Pradesh High Court, questioned the Union Government over the exclusion of Shimla from the Regional Connectivity Scheme (UDAN) and observed that the hill State appeared to have been subjected to “step-motherly treatment” in the matter of air connectivity. 

Division Bench of Chief Justice G.S. Sandhawalia and Justice Bipin C. negi remarked that: “Keeping in view the contrasting stand as such and the fact that the State is not being given the benefit of Regional Connectivity Scheme, we are of the considered opinion that the presence of respondent No.7 would be necessary for adjudication of the dispute, who shall explain as to why the State of Himachal Pradesh has been given the step-motherly treatment.” 

Background:

The matter initially concerned the issue of bird menace at Kangra/Gaggal Airport. However, by an order dated 11 November 2025, expanded the scope of the Public Interest Litigation to examine the broader issue of inadequate flight operations at the three airports in Himachal Pradesh — Shimla, Kullu, and Kangra. 

The court remarked that in spite of the infrastructure having been set up, the Union of India has not made adequate arrangements for sufficient number of flights to operate from the said airports and thereby causing grave inconvenience to the residents of Himachal Pradesh.

An affidavit filed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation stated that the Central Government had developed and operationalized Shimla and Kullu airports under the Regional Connectivity Scheme by allocating ₹116.70 crore and ₹37.29 crore respectively. The affidavit further stated that Kangra Airport was connected to Delhi and Chandigarh through 50 weekly flight movements operated by IndiGo and SpiceJet, while Kullu Airport had 16 weekly flights connecting Dehradun, Delhi, and Jaipur through Alliance Air.

However, the Ministry admitted that there were presently no scheduled flight operations at Shimla because Alliance Air had suspended operations owing to shortage and grounding of aircraft. It was also stated that the airports in the State were suitable only for smaller aircraft and that airlines introduced services based on commercial and operational viability. 

On the other hand, the State Government, through an affidavit filed by the Special Secretary (Tourism & Civil Aviation), highlighted that Shimla remained the only State capital not connected under the Regional Connectivity Scheme, while all other State capitals had been covered. The State further pointed out that the modified UDAN Scheme announced in the Union Budget 2026–27 did not allocate routes for the Delhi–Shimla–Delhi and Shimla–Dharamshala–Shimla sectors. 

The State also informed the Court that its financial capacity was limited and that it could not continue indefinitely funding Viability Gap Funding (VGF) for airline operations. It disclosed that an amount of ₹32.64 crore had already been granted to Alliance Air pursuant to a Memorandum of Understanding dated 5 April 2026. 

Taking note of the “contrasting stand” between the Centre and the State, the High Court observed that the Union Government needed to explain why Himachal Pradesh had not been granted the benefit of the Regional Connectivity Scheme in the same manner as other States. The Court stressed that residents of the State were forced to undertake arduous travel to reach Delhi, involving nearly eight hours of road travel in hilly terrain. 

The Bench further observed that tourism formed the backbone of the State economy and, therefore, it was the “bounden duty” of the Union Government to ensure adequate connectivity for visitors travelling to Himachal Pradesh. The Court remarked that extending the benefit of the UDAN Scheme to the State capital was imperative considering the State's dependence on tourist footfall. 

Case Name: Court on its own motion V/s State of H.P. & others

Case No.: CWPIL No.40 of 2025

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