Railways Arrangements for Rath Yatra – 2013
Bhubaneswar, 4th July 2013:
For the convenience of pilgrims and passengers and to cater to extra rush of passengers during Rath Yatra Festival at Puri, East Coast Railway has decided to run special trains from different parts of Odisha, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh excluding the existing trains coming to Puri. Special trains will also run to and from Puri to clear extra rush on the occasion of Sandhya Darshan, Bahuda Yatra and Sunavesa....
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Apart from this, six trains will be rescheduled, five to be diverted and six to be extended to Puri. ECoR has arranged exclusive passenger amenities for the convenience of the passengers.
(1)

Special Trains:




(a)




(b)




(c)


(d)



Railways will be running a total of 82 Nos special trains on 10/07/2013 (Gundicha Yatra), 17/07/2013 (Sandhya Darshan), 18/07/2013 (Bahuda Yatra) and on 19/07/2013 (Suna Vesha). This is in addition to about 25 pairs of regular train services.

Train No. 12891 / 12892 (Bhubaneswar-Bangriposi- Bhubaneswar Express) would be extended up to Puri w.e.f. 10/07/2013 and till 20/07/2013. The train (No. 12891) would arrive at Puri at 1220 hours from Bangriposi and leave Puri at 1425 hrs. for Bangriposi.

It is also planned to run some special trains on 20/07/2013, i.e., the day following Suna Vesha in order to evacuate the pilgrims, if required.

A large no. of extra coaches will be put into service in order to run these special trains. Elaborate arrangements have been made for cleaning and watering of trains for ensuring pleasant and comfortable journey.


(2)

Extra Ticket Counters:



(a)


In order to handle large number of pilgrims, 35 Nos additional ticket counters will be opened at PURI railway station. A large no. of them, including the one at Bagala Dharmasala, would be functioning round-the-clock.




(b)

Similarly, in order to handle the additional rush of pilgrims at other stations, additional booking counters will be opened at peak hours at Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Khurda Road, Brahmapur, Balugaon, Khalikote, Paradeep, Bhadrak & Jajpur-Keonjhar Road.


(3)

Enquiry Counters and Information Centers:



(a)


3 Nos additional enquiry counters will be opened at PURI railway station in addition to one regular counter. These counters will be strategically located in the circulating area and near the temporary entry point at the extreme end of platform No.1A.


(b)

3 Nos Passenger Help Desks will be set up near the buffer ends of Platforms in order to guide the passengers.




(c)

Passengers can also enquire about the train running information on telephone No. 06752-226717.



(4)

Timetable and Publicity:



(a)


20 nos. Train Timetable Boards will be put up at strategic locations at PURI Railway Station and other important locations in PURI town, such, as Singhdwar and Bagala Dharmasala.




(b)

12 nos. Train Indication Boards, indicating the schedule of trains along with platform departure will be functioning in Mela Shed and other locations at PURI Railway station.




(c)

Wide publicity of special trains to be run during the Rath Yatra will be made through PA system installed at PURI railway station and through Cable TV network. In addition, leaflets will be distributed amongst the passengers at the railway stations for educating the passengers regarding Rath Yatra arrangements made by the railways.




(5)

Mela Shed:





A large number of devotees are expected to arrive at the PURI railway station from various locations in and outside the State round –the- clock. In order to provide them with resting and toilet / bathing facility, a temporary Melashed, covering an area of 1800 Sqm, is being erected at the PURI railway station. It can accommodate approx. 4000 passengers at a time.




(6)

Catering and Drinking Water:





In addition to a Food Plaza at PURI Railway station, arrangements are being made for selling of Tea, Snacks, Water bottles and Janata meal. 130 nos. drinking water taps are available on the PFs of Puri Railway Station. 4 nos. of Water Coolers are also available for ensuring cold potable water to the passengers.

Additional food stalls will also be functioning at major en-route stations, such as, Sakshigopal, Delanga, Kanas Road and Khurda Road Railway Stations.




(7)

Sanitation:





More than 100 supervisors and staff will be deputed round the clock for ensuring proper cleanliness and sanitation in the station premises including the Melashed and the circulating area.




(8)

Medical Assistance:





Medical Assistance Booth will be functioning in the circulating area of PURI railway station round the clock. It will be manned by 5 doctors and 30 nurses and other para medical staff and will have Ambulance service as well.




(9)

Illumination:





Adequate arrangements are being made by Railways for ensuring uninterrupted power supply at PURI Railway Station for ensuring non-stop functioning of lights, fans, electronic equipment and other passenger amenity services. For this purpose, 1 no. 100 KVA and 2 nos. 63 KVA Generator Power Cars are being pressed into service in addition to one stationary Generator of 250 KVA.

Keeping up with the festive mood of the town, the station building has been tastefully decorated with electric lights.



(10)

LC Gate Management:





Considering the heavy flow of road traffic through Talabania LC gate, additional manpower including GRP personnel, will be deployed at the Talabania LC Gate in order to ensure trouble free movement of train services and road vehicles.





(11)

Assistance to Temple Administration:



Like in previous years, railways will be providing trained workforce, breakdown materials, such as, Jacks etc., to attend any possible breakdown of Chariots during the Rath Yatra.

(12)

Manpower Mobilization:



Ensuring the above arrangements involves large scale mobilization of manpower and other resources. Over 640 railway staff and supervisors of Operating, Commercial, Mechanical, Electrical, Signal & Telecommunication, Engineering and Medical departments from stations other than Puri would be assisting the railway staff available in Puri. The railway staff would be assisted by 30 Scouts and 22 Civil Defence personnel. All officers of the Division would be keeping a close watch on the arrangements.

(13)

Safety and Security:



Considering a large congregation of devotees at PURI railway station, elaborate safety arrangements are being made. Large contingents of Railway Protection Force (RPF) comprising approximately 500 personnel, sniffer dogs and GRP consisting of about 750 officers and jawans would be mobilized for round-the-clock deployment. They would be assisted by 300 home guards. Fire Service personnel will be available along with Fire Tenders at the station. 25 nos. of Fire extinguishers have been made available at strategic locations.
24 CCTV Cameras will be installed covering the entire length and breadth of PURI railway station in order to keep a close watch on anti-social activities.