Northeast Desk, 27th February: Tripura’s Chief Minister, Manik Saha, inaugurated the journey of the 00727-Astha Special train to Ayodhya from the Agartala Railway Station on Tuesday. Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the redevelopment of 553 railway stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, CM Saha embarked on this significant initiative to facilitate pilgrimage to Ayodhya.
A notable event was hosted on Monday, where CM Saha presided over the foundation stone laying, inauguration, and redevelopment of 554 railway stations under the ‘Amrit Bharat Station Schemes’ and 1509 road over bridges underpasses in Agartala.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of 553 railway stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme on the same day. Covering 27 States and Union Territories, this massive redevelopment initiative is estimated to cost over Rs19,000 crores.
In line with the government’s commitment to facilitate pilgrimage, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan recently flagged off the ‘Aastha Special Train’ carrying around 1500 devotees from Sambalpur, Odisha, to Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. Equipped with 20 sleeper-class coaches, these trains ensure all necessary amenities for passengers.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw further announced a new train service from Puri, the home of Lord Jagannath, to Ayodhya. Currently, the Indian Railways is operating over 200 Aastha special trains from various cities and towns across India to Ayodhya. Each Aastha train comprises 20 sleeper coaches, accommodating about 1,400 people.
Highlighting the growing enthusiasm among devotees, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust reported that over 20 lakh devotees visited the Ram Temple in the week following the Pran Pratishtha ceremony. These initiatives aim to facilitate pilgrimage and strengthen the spiritual connectivity of devotees across the nation.
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