TTT NEWS NETWORK
RAIPUR| 11 AUGUST 2025
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Dr. Raman Singh and Chairman of the Chhattisgarh Tourism Board Mr. Neelu Sharma flagged off a special train from Rajnandgaon at 11:30 AM for passengers from Durg and Bastar divisions on 6 August .
On the occasion of the train’s departure to Ayodhya Dham, there was great enthusiasm among the passengers from Durg and Bastar divisions. Rajnandgaon Railway Station echoed with chants in praise of Lord Shri Ram by the pilgrims. The families and friends of the pilgrims witnessed this auspicious occasion and wished them a pleasant journey. Before departure, the pilgrims were welcomed with Chhattisgarh’s traditional folk dances and folk music. Representatives from IRCTC applied a ceremonial tilak on each pilgrim and greeted them warmly. After boarding passengers from Rajnandgaon Railway Station, the train proceeded to Durg Railway Station to pick up the remaining pilgrims before heading to Ayodhya Dham.
At Durg station, the pilgrims were welcomed and flagged off to Ayodhya Dham by Durg MLA Gajendra Yadav, Durg Rural MLA Lalit Chandrakar, Ahiwara MLA Doman Korsewada, Mayor of Durg Mrs. Alka Baghmar, President of Durg Zila Panchayat Mrs. Saraswati Banjare, BJP District President Durg Surendra Kaushik, Commissioner of Durg Division Shri Satyanarayan Rathore, Durg Collector Shri Abhijeet Singh, Commissioner of Durg Municipal Corporation Shri Sumit Agrawal, and Chief Executive Officer of Durg Shri Bajrang Dubey.
This train, originally designated for Durg division, will now depart from Rajnandgaon considering the convenience and demand of passengers, thanks to the tireless efforts of Mr. Neelu Sharma. The train will pick up pilgrims from Rajnandgaon and then from Durg station, carrying devotees from both Durg and Bastar divisions to Ayodhya Dham. Today, there was remarkable enthusiasm among the pilgrims, citizens, and BJP workers—everyone seemed eager to witness this historic moment.
It is noteworthy that as per the State Government’s manifesto promise to enable residents of the state to have darshan of Lord Shri Ram Lalla (Ayodhya Dham) at least once in their lifetime, an MoU was signed on 23/02/2024 between the Chhattisgarh Tourism Board and the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). Under this initiative, the first special train from Raipur division was flagged off from Raipur Railway Station on 05 March 2024 by Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Vishnudev Sai in the presence of senior ministers and public representatives. Subsequently, trains were flagged off on 11 March from Bilaspur division, on 19 June from Surguja division, and on 26 June from Durg and Bastar divisions (jointly) carrying 850 passengers.
Under this scheme, approximately 25,500 pilgrims from Chhattisgarh have so far been taken for darshan. The special weekly train under the “Prabhu Shri Ram Lalla Darshan Yojana” will continue to operate for passengers from Raipur, Bilaspur, Surguja, and Bastar-Durg (joint) divisions, facilitating their visit to Shri Ram Lalla at Ayodhya Dham.
Advertisement:
Add Comment