More than a year after the Ministry of Civil Aviation launched Udan Yatri cafes in select airports across the country, a Kolkata-based lawyer has approached the Calcutta High Court seeking better access to these pocket-friendly cafes.
In his petition filed before the high court on Tuesday, advocate Akash Sharma argued, “In several cases, the café outlet has been placed outside the security screening area. After CISF security clearance, passengers are confined to the post-security hold area and cannot access these affordable outlets.”
Sharma told the court only high-priced outlets operate inside the security zone.
“The welfare scheme, thus, becomes practically inaccessible to security-cleared passengers and its implementation is rendered illusory,” Sharma said in his PIL. “A welfare policy cannot be implemented in a manner that neutralises its benefit through restrictive placements and barriers.”
Sharma argued that the scheme was welcomed by middle-class passengers, who cannot afford the exorbitant priced food and beverages at the Calcutta airport.
“This PIL seeks practical implementation so that affordable options are actually available in areas where passengers wait to board,” said Sharma.
The next hearing for the PIL will be heard on March 2, by a division bench composed of Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen.
He said that the launch of the first such cafe in Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, attracted considerable customers, showing the long-standing public need for such a scheme.
Sharma argued that airports are statutory and regulated public infrastructure, and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is duty-bound to “ensure fair and non-exploitative passenger amenities; essential food and beverage access in security-cleared zones cannot be left solely to high-priced concessionaires when a government-backed affordable scheme exists.”
The petitioner also demanded that the AAI ensure the affordable outlets provide essential variants including unsweetened tea and coffee suitable for diabetic patients.
The ministry of civil aviation and AAI had launched the Udan Yatri café at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata on December 26, 2024.
As of February 5, there are seven operational Udan Yatri cafes in India. These are located in the airports of Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Bhubaneswar, Vijayawada and Hollongi, according to a parliamentary response during the Budget session.
“A ministry of civil aviation and AAI initiative to make travel more affordable with quality food at budget-friendly prices. Enhancing passenger experience, one bite at a time,” the ministry wrote on X.
The standardised prices at the Udan Yatri café at Kolkata airport offer tea and drinking water at Rs 10 each, while samosas, sweets and coffee cost Rs 20
In the winter session of the Parliament in 2024, AAP MP Raghav Chadha had raised the issue on the floor of the Rajya Sabha.
“A water bottle costs Rs 100, and tea is priced at Rs 200-250. Can’t the government establish affordable canteens at airports?” Chadha had asked.
