The intervention of Himachal Pradesh High Court here has created some hopes of revival of the Shimla airport which has otherwise remained non-functional for more than three years now. The High Court has directed the committee, which it had constituted sometime back to make Shimla airport operational, to hold its meeting and submit a report in two weeks on the steps it had taken to revive the airport. The Court has also directed to explore the possibility of landing big aircrafts on this airport.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan had in January constituted a high level committee comprising of Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation; Chairman, Airport Authority of India; Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Air India; Airport Director, Shimla Airport; Principal Secretary (Tourism) to the State of Himachal Pradesh, Deputy Commissioners of Shimla and Solan districts and the Engineer-in-Chief of PWD to suggest and take steps to make the airport serviceable and operational as early as possible.
They had passed the orders on a writ petition in which the petitioner has maintained that no flights are being operated from Shimla airport since the year 2012. Otherwise this airport had become operational in the early eighties and the return flights were operated from Shimla to Delhi and from Shimla to Kullu. The Airport has now become a white elephant and without any purpose it is being maintained at the cost of public exchequer, since 2012.
The petitioner also pointed out that on the one hand tourism has been severally hit in absence of any air connectivity to the hill State and on the other hand Airport Authority of Indian spends huge amount to maintain the Airport.
The Shimla Airport is located at Jubbarhatti, about 22 kms from the main town. The airport was constructed by cutting down a mountaintop and levelling the area to form the single runway.
Airport Director Parwinder Tiwari when contacted by The Hindu said the airstrip is being widened and there are chances of revival of regular flights by the end of this month.
The matter is listed for further hearing on October 12.
