Delhi govt adds Kartarpur and Velankanni under free pilgrimage scheme

A senior government official said that the devotees will be provided berths in AC-III tier trains on the Delhi-Velankanni-Delhi route whereas they will be given seats in deluxe AC buses for the Kartarpur Sahib route

New Delhi: The Delhi government will add two more sites—Kartarpur Sahib and Velankanni Church—to the list of routes under the Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana.

Delhi revenue minister Kailash Gahlot said on Friday that the first train under this scheme to Ayodhya is scheduled to be flagged off on December 3. (HT)

Kailash Gahlot, the revenue minister, said on Friday that the first train under this scheme to Ayodhya is scheduled to be flagged off on December 3 and the government has decided to add two more routes for Sikh and Christian devotees in addition to the existing 13 routes. Gahlot reviewed the preparations for the launch of the scheme on the Delhi-Ayodhya-Delhi route on Friday. Senior officers from the revenue department, IT department, Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) and the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) took part in the review.

A senior government official said that the devotees will be provided berths in AC-III tier trains on the Delhi-Velankanni-Delhi route whereas they will be given seats in deluxe AC buses for the Kartarpur Sahib route. “The first batch of yatris to Kartarpur Sahib will depart on January 5, 2022, and the first train for Delhi-Velankanni-Delhi will depart on January 7, 2022,” Gahlot informed.

He added that the 15,000 applicants who had applied to take part in the yatra under the scheme in 2019 but could not avail of the facility due to the Covid-19 pandemic will be contacted by the government regarding the option of amending their applications and uploading vaccination certificates. “The Delhi government will also provide doctors and paramedical staff to accompany the applicants,” Gahlot stated.

Under the Mukhya Mantri Teerth Yatra Yojna, Hindu pilgrims who are over 60 years of age can also visit Vaishno Devi, Shirdi, Rameswaram, Dwarka, Puri, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Mathura, Vrindavan, among others and Sikh residents have the option to do a Delhi-Amritsar-Wagah Border-Anandpur Sahib-Delhi tour for four days.

Senior citizens availing of the free pilgrimage scheme are issued certificates by the MLAs of their respective areas, ministers of the Delhi government, or the chairman of the Tirth Yatra Vikas Samiti. The Delhi government bears all the expenses on the pilgrimage, including travel, food and accommodation. Facilities such as paramedical staff and attendants are also provided during the journey

The scheme was approved by the Kejriwal government in 2018, but no visit could be organised in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. So far, over 36,000 people have availed of the scheme. The Delhi-Ayodhya-Delhi tour is the 13th route. With the addition of Ayodhya, Kartarpur Sahib and Velankanni Church, the total number of routes under the scheme is now 15.

A total of 1,100 residents per assembly constituency can avail of this facility in a year subject to the cap of total of 77,000 beneficiaries per year, according to Delhi government officials.