Berhampur: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Tuesday flagged off a special pilgrimage train for the elderly through video conferencing from Bhubaneswar.
The train started its journey from Berhampur and it will go to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu and Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram.
Patnaik wished the elderly pilgrims a happy and safe journey.
The pilgrimage train is a part of an initiative of the state tourism department under the Baristha Nagarika Tirtha Yatra Yojana to help elderly people make spiritual journeys to places of religious importance.
As many as 961 elderly pilgrims from five districts including Ganjam, Gajapati, Boudh, Kandhamal and Nayagarh boarded the train from here. They will return here on November 5.
About 30 government officials, doctors and nurses also accompanied the pilgrims as escorting officers, said Binod Behera, in-charge tourist officer, Ganjam.
“It was my long-cherished dream to go on a pilgrimage as I did not go anywhere except Puri. Now, I am happy as the government is sponsoring our pilgrimage to southern states for free,” said 70-year-old Gobind Biswal, who was accompanied by his wife Puspanjali.
Odisha is among a few states that are sponsoring pilgrimage by trains since 2017.
“The government has made all arrangements for their safe train journey,” Housing and Urban Development Minister Usha Devi, who attended the event at the railway station here, said.
“Those who did not get a chance to go on this trip will be given priority next time,” she added.
PTI
