After Centre denies trains, Punjab government likely to take elderly to pilgrimage in planes
After the central government failed to provide a train, the Punjab government has taken a new initiative. The government will now facilitate pilgrimage for the elderly by airplane, having booked chartered flights for this purpose.
The Chief Minister’s Pilgrimage Scheme was launched by the Punjab government on November 27, 2023, commemorating the Prakash Parv of Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Since its inception, only one train managed to transport the devotees, with the initial group heading to Sri Hazur Sahib. However, due to issues with the railways, the train scheduled from Jalandhar to Varanasi on December 6 was canceled.
Subsequently, the Ajmer Sharif Jatha was planned to depart from Malerkotla on December 15, but the railway authorities expressed their inability to facilitate this journey. Despite this, the state government deposited Rs 1.34 crore for the train scheduled on December 15.