Pilgrimage resumes: Train from Delhi to carry 1000 elderly pilgrims for Dwarkadhish
Premium- The train for Dwarkadhish carrying 1000 elderly pilgrims will be flagged off from the Safdarjung railway station in Delhi
In view of Covid-19 cases stabilising within the country, the Delhi government's pilgrimage scheme for the elderly will resume on Monday with a train carrying pilgrims to Dwarkadhish in Gujarat. The pilgrimage scheme was halted earlier in the first week of January in view of rising Covid-19 cases.
Kamal Bansal, chairman of the Delhi government's Tirth Yatra Vikas Samiti has said, the train for Dwarkadhish carrying 1000 elderly pilgrims from Delhi will be flagged off from the Safdarjung railway station at 7 PM on Monday. Another train for Rameshwaram will leave on February 18.
The Mukhya Mantri Tirth Yatra Yojna had to be halted in January due rise in cases of Covid-19 cases. As a result of the disruption, a train of pilgrims scheduled to Basilica of Our Lady of Health in Tamil Nadu's Vailankanni on January 7 was cancelled.
"We are likely to announce trains for other pilgrimage places as the Railway is likely to inform us about the availability of trains," Bansal said.
He said maximum demand from the senior citizens was for Rameshwaram and Dwarkadhish. Around 15,000 applications for Rameshwaram and 7000 for Dwarkadhish were pending.
"We are ready to arrange as many trips as possible due to popular demand from our elderly but it depends upon the availability of trains," Bansal said.
Under the scheme for free pilgrimages to the elderly from Delhi, 11 train trips for different pilgrim sites were planned in January that could not materialise due to the third wave of Covid, he said.
Meanwhile, given the rise in Covid-19 cases, the renowned Shree Dwarkadhish Temple of Lord Krishna at Dwarka in Gujarat had announced its closusre for devotees from January 17 to 23 to avoid overcrowding due to 'Purnima'. The Gujarat government had issued guidelines to stem the rise in coronavirus cases, which include an attendance cap of 150 persons in open spaces and 50% of the capacity of a closed space venue not exceeding 150 persons.
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