Odisha: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inspects Jagannath Rath Yatra arrangement at Puri railway station

Bhubaneswar:  Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw visited Puri Railway Station, on the evening of June 29  and reviewed the arrangements made for the convenience and benefit of pilgrims and devotees during the Jagannath Rath Yatra period.

Inspecting the Rath Yatra arrangement by Railways, Vaishnaw expressed the Indian Railways’ commitment towards better passengers’ facilities and convenience and to improve the overall travel experience of its passengers.

Highlighting the initiatives undertaken for Rath Yatra, Railway Minister mentioned that this year, a total of 315 Special Trains are being operated for passenger convenient. These special trains connect Puri with various destinations, including trains from neighbouring states like Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal.

Railways have planned for providing Special Trains from every part of Odisha like Badampahar, Bangiriposi, Rourkela, Sambalpur, Junagarh Road, Sonepur, Gunupur, Brahmapur, Daspalla, Angul, Paradeep, Kendujhargarh, Bhadrak, and Baleswar. Steps have been taken to connect Puri with all districts.

Vaishnaw also highlighted the measures to be implemented by Railways during Car Festival are – Crowd Management, Train Information System/Enquiry Counters, Video Walls Display, UTS on Mobile App, Additional Ticket Booking Counters and Mobile Ticket Counters, Pilgrim Waiting Area/Shed and Mela Shed to accommodate more than 25 Thousand pilgrims & devotees, Security Arrangements, Catering & Hospitality, Medical Facilities & Ambulance, as well as the provision of power supply, water supply, cleanliness, security, drinking water, and sufficient toilets for the convenience of passengers, especially pilgrims.

Railway Minister Vaishnaw further added that, this year, Railways aims to carry 15 lakhs passengers to and from Puri towards their destinations. Apart from this, special trains will be run by using AI based dynamic Scheduling System. Whenever demand raise, Railway will provide more trains to the particular destination.

Earlier on Friday Odisha Chief Minister Mohan  Charan Majhi and Deputy Chief Minister K.V.Singhdeo  and Smt Pravati Parida met  Union Railway Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw at New Delhi and  discussed about the  extensive preparations by the railways for the Rath Yatra in Puri.

“I have discussed about the arrangements made by Railways for the upcoming Rath Yatra in Puri with Odisha Chief Minister and two deputy CMs. This year 315 special trains will run which is much higher than last year. The trains will cover almost all areas of Odisha. Besides the railway, we will make arrangements for the accommodation of more than 15,000 people at Puri,” Mr Vaishnaw informed after the meeting.