Saharsa, Bihar l
In an extraordinary image that’s gone viral, over 300 students were seen taking a mock government exam on the unused runway of Saharsa Airport — a site originally selected for revival under India’s flagship UDAN scheme.
The image — showing exam desks arranged on the sunlit tarmac — has sparked national debate, highlighting how ambitious infrastructure projects like UDAN sometimes stall before takeoff.
✈️ What is the UDAN Scheme?
Launched in 2016, the Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme aims to democratize air travel, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), the initiative connects smaller cities with capped airfares and government incentives for airlines.
🔑 Key Features of UDAN:
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Capped Airfares: ₹2,500 for a 1-hour flight (for 50% of seats).
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Viability Gap Funding (VGF): Financial support to make regional routes viable.
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Bidding-Based Model: Airlines apply to operate profitable or previously ignored routes.
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Focus Areas: North-Eastern states, hilly regions, islands, and underserved airports.
🛬 What Went Wrong in Saharsa?
Despite being shortlisted under UDAN, Saharsa Airport remains non-operational. ₹25 crore was sanctioned for its development, but no terminal, staff, or commercial flights are active to date.
As per a Times of India report (source), a local coaching institute, unable to find a large classroom space, organized the mock exam on the vacant runway.
“We had no space on our campus to accommodate such a large number of job aspirants preparing for competitive exams, mainly for the police and army services. We will not use the space for such purposes once flights begin operating from the airport”—is attributed to the head of a private coaching institute in Saharsa, Bihar.
The airport, tagged as IN-0091, has a single runway (10/28) and lacks an ICAO code. The closest weather station is over 150 km away in Patna, and it falls under the Kolkata FIR.
📈 UDAN’s Broader Impact — Beyond Saharsa
Despite Saharsa’s challenges, the UDAN scheme has seen measurable success elsewhere:
✅ 625+ UDAN routes are operational
✅ 90+ airports connected
✅ 1.49 crore passengers benefited
✅ New airports include Pakyong (Sikkim), Tezu (Arunachal), Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh)
UDAN has been rolled out in four versions so far, each expanding its scope from basic routes to helicopter and seaplane services.
The incident at Saharsa is more than just a viral image — it symbolizes India’s development paradox. Infrastructure exists, but remains underutilized. Students, meanwhile, are forced to repurpose a runway into a classroom — a stark contrast to the aviation dreams it was meant to support.
As India prepares for UDAN 5.0, stories like Saharsa’s offer a sobering reminder: air connectivity is only as real as the planes that land.
