2 days ago
New temple impact: Digha Rath train WL crosses 100
Kolkata: While Rath Yatra, scheduled on June 27, is still three weeks away, bus and train bookings to Digha, where the occasion will be celebrated for the first time at the Jagannatham Dham complex, are almost full.
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The popular Tamralipta Express has a waitlist of over 100. The waitlist begins as early as June 24, with the non-AC bogies seeing a waitlist of 91 and the AC chair car at 20. On June 27, the waitlist stands at 117 and 67, respectively.
The chair car tickets for Kandari Express, which leaves Howrah in the afternoon and reaches Digha in the evening, are waitlisted at 15 and 19 on June 26 and 27. Railway officials advise passengers to keep checking for tickets as cancellations might open up seats.
"We're monitoring the situation closely and will take necessary steps to accommodate the rush," said a senior Railways official.
"I've been trying to book tickets on Tamralipta Express for three days now. Everything seems full," said Shankha Banerjee, a Bhowanipore resident who plans to attend the Rath Yatra at the new temple with his family. "We might have to drive down now, though we are worried about parking and traffic arrangements."
For many, this is a unique opportunity. "Witnessing the first Rath Yatra at Digha's new temple complex is special. That's why we booked tickets a month in advance," said Ashok Dutta, a retired government employee from Jadavpur.
The pre-bookings have started even on buses to Digha, a rare development given such rush is witnessed only on the Kolkata-Siliguri route but rarely for Digha. There are eight operators, including government ones run by NBSTC and WBTC, and there are queries on apps and even the Esplanade and Howrah terminuses.
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"Though actual bookings are not as high as trains, queries for reaching Digha on the morning of Rath Yatra and leaving in the evening are coming. We are telling them that we will firm up the plans once the traffic measures are announced as chief minister Mamata Banerjee will be present in Digha on that day," said a private operator that runs four daily services to Digha, including a night service.
The state transport department is planning to deploy additional buses. "We are looking at running extra buses from Kolkata to Digha on June 26 and 27 based on the demand," said a WBTC official. "We've never seen such advance bookings for Digha," said Santosh Dutta, who operates bus services. "Usually, people book 2-3 days in advance. But this time, we're getting calls weeks ahead."
