Title - 82 special trains for Rath Yatra

With more than a million people set to converge at Puri for the Rath Yatra that would commence on July 10, the East Coast Railway (ECoR) on Thursday announced 82 special trains from different parts of Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh to the temple city during the festival.

The special trains would be in addition to 25 pairs of regular trains plying to Puri from different parts of the country. Besides the Rath Yatra, the trains would be pressed on the occasion of Sandhya Darshan on July 17, Bahuda Yatra on July 18 and Suna Vesha on July 19 to meet the extra rush of passengers.

ECoR has also decided to reschedule six trains while diverting and extending five and six trains to the city respectively on the festival days. The trains will also be augmented with coaches to handle the large number of passengers.As many as 35 additional round the clock ticket counters would be opened at Puri. Extra booking counters would also be opened at Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Khurda Road, Berhampur, Balugaon, Khalikote, Paradip, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Keonjhar Road railway stations. They would be complemented with additional enquiry counters and passenger help desks.

While sanitation and cleanliness measures at the stations would be intensified, a temporary mela shed spanning 1800 sq mtr with a capacity to accommodate 4000 people at a time is being erected at the Puri railway station. More drinking water taps and food stalls will also be put up at the station during the festival.

A medical assistance booth will also be opened at Puri station. To be manned by five doctors, 30 nurses and other paramedical staff, it will have ambulances at its disposal too. Heavy security arrangements will also be put in place for safety of the passengers. A huge contingent of RPF with 500 personnel, sniffer dogs and GRP with 750 officers and personnel will be deployed. Puri railway station would be kept under constant watch through 24 CCTV cameras.