Delhi govt's first trains to Kartarpur Sahib, Velankanni to depart in Jan

Under the Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojna, the first batch of pilgrims to Kartarpur Sahib would depart on January 5 and the first train for Delhi-Velankanni-Delhi would depart on January 7 next year, the Delhi government said in a statement on Friday.

"The Delhi Government has decided to add two more routes in addition to the existing 13 yatra routes namely Delhi-Velankanni-Delhi and Delhi-Kartarpur Sahib-Delhi under its Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra scheme. The devotees would be provided berths in AC-III tier trains on Delhi-Velankanni-Delhi route whereas for Kartarpur Sahib, the devotees would be given seats in Deluxe 2x2 AC buses. The first batch of Yatris to Kartarpur Sahib would depart on January 5, 2022, and the first train for Delhi-Velankanni-Delhi would depart on January 7, 2022," the statement read.

Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot reviewed the preparedness of the Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojna in a high level meeting on Friday.

The 15,000 applicants who had applied for the yatra under the scheme in 2019 but could not avail the facility due to the Covid pandemic would receive SMS informing them about the option of amending their applications for choosing Delhi-Ayodhya-Delhi route and also uploading fully vaccinated certificates on the e-district portal. The Delhi Government will also provide doctors and paramedical staff to accompany the Yatris in all trains and buses under the scheme.


The Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana, under which the senior citizens of Delhi can go on pilgrimages at government expense, could not be held in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid pandemic. A meeting to review the preparedness to resume the yatra was earlier held under the chairmanship of Revenue Minister Gahlot on September 30, wherein IRCTC informed that the trains can be made available for the Yatra only after October 15.

Recently with the approval of the cabinet of the Delhi Government, one additional route namely New Delhi-Ayodhya-New Delhi was added to the list of routes under the scheme. Now, with the addition of two more routes, the total number of routes under the scheme has reached 15.

Under the scheme, the Delhi Government offers free travel packages for pilgrimage to senior citizens from the national capital. A total of 1,100 residents per assembly constituency can avail this facility in a year subject to the cap of total 77,000 Yatris per year.

 
Since its formal launch, a total of 35,080 beneficiaries have travelled under the scheme, the Delhi government has claimed. -IANS