Title - Devotees seek rail link between all Takhts

Amritsar:
Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal may have brought Takht Damdama Sahib on the rail map of the country by announcing the rail link between Rama Mandi and Maur Mandi, the other two Takhts in Punjab, Akal Takht in Amritsar and Takht Keshgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib, are still awaiting rail connectivity between each other.Amritsar, where Akal Takht is located, has rail connectivity with Takht Shri Patna Sahib in Bihar and Takht Shri Hazur Sahib in Nanded, Maharashtra, but there is no direct train between Amritsar and Anandpur Sahib. The reason behind this is the delay in commissioning of the Amritsar-Anandpur Sahib rail link.At present, the passengers bound for Anandpur Sahib are forced to disembark at the Sirhind railway station from where they take road route to Anandpur Sahib. “It is surprising that there is no rail link between Amritsar and Anandpur Sahib. A rail link will be of immense benefit to the devotees visiting the holy city, particularly the elderly who prefer rail travel,” said Balkar Singh, an NRI.

Himmat Singh, another pilgrim, said all the three Takhts in Punjab should be connected via rail route as devotees from other states and countries return after visiting Amritsar.

The devotees, meanwhile, hailed the rail link for Takht Damdama Sahib and a new train connecting Anandpur Sahib with Nanded.

Amritsar has a direct train to Takht Shri Hazur Sahib in Nanded in the form of Sachkhand Express, which witnesses heavy booking round the year. Besides, it has two trains connecting the holy city with Takht Shri Patna Sahib in Bihar. However, unlike Sachkhand Express, which primarily caters to Sikh devotees, these trains don't terminate at Patna Sahib but have a 15-minute halt there on the way to Howrah, their final destination.

Similarly, Anandpur Sahib has a weekly train to Patna Sahib every Saturday while a new weekly train connecting Anandpur Sahib to Nanded Sahib has been announced in the Rail Budget 2013-14.

Anandpur Sahib station master Daljit Singh said the Morinda-Ludhiana rail section was most likely to be thrown open by March 31 this year and it would pave the way for the Amritsar-Anandpur Sahib rail connectivity.

SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said the railway line connecting Amritsar to Anandpur Sahib had already been laid and the train service would start any time soon. He said they had already approached the Union Railway Ministry seeking rail connectivity between all the five Takhts.