PUNJAB’S TIRATH DARSHAN YATRA SCHEME TO BEGIN FROM JAN 1

Bathinda, : Reiterating its commitment to encourage the religious tourism, the special train under Mukh mantra Tirath Darshan Yatra Scheme would be leaving from Raman Mandi (Talwandi Sabo) on January 4, 2016.
Deputy Commissioner Bathinda Dr Basant Garg said this while presiding over a meeting of the yatra scheme wherein senior officers of the state too participated. Dr Garg said that the train would enable 1000 pilgrims of Bathinda to have darshan of Nanded Sahib and will bring them back to Bathinda. This free journey will be comfortable for the pilgrims wherein Punjab government will provide them free food, lodging and boarding arrangements. Similarly, on January 4, 2016 four buses will leave from Bathinda for Salasar Dham.
DC Dr Basant Garg informed that to avail facility of this free religious journey the benefactor pilgrim will have to give his or her identity proof and medical fitness certificate from a government hospital. He said that there was no reservation in these special trains and the trains will meet with the requisite needs of all the pilgrims.
He said that from December 23 onwards, special counters are being put up at the government hospitals in Talwandi Sabo and Raman Mandi where pilgrims will be issued medical fitness certificates. Dr Garg said that at the district level, the Additional Deputy Commissioner (development) Mr Varinder Kumar Sharma has been appointed as the nodal officer. For more details one can contact at the office of ADC (D) at 0164-2210736.
The state transport commissioner Mr Harmail Singh Sandhu and special secretary transport department Mr Manjit Singh Narang said that this was a very good initiative of state government under which people are being taken for free pilgrimage. They said that on Jan 4 the train will leave from Raman Mandi carrying sangat from Talwandi Sabo constituency for Nanded Sahib.
DC Dr Basant Garg added that the government will run 117 trains for the people of all assembly constituencies for free pilgrimages. He said that these special trains are also being run for Varanasi and Ajmer Sharif wherein the first train for Varanasi will leave from Jalandhar railway station on Jan 20, 2016 and the train for Ajmer Sharif will leave from Malerkotla on Jan 29, 2015. He said that on these chartered trains arrangements have been made for pilgrims’ food and comfort wherein the state government will bear all the expenses. He said that in first phase six special trains are being run for Varanasi and 3 trains are being run for Ajmer Sharif.
He added that to ensure comfort of pilgrims district level committee has been formed under Deputy Commissioner.Officers from various departments were present at the meeting.