MARGAO
The Chief Minister’s pilgrimage train to Vailankanni in Tamil Nadu departed on Friday with less than 50 per cent occupancy, triggering questions over planning and costs under the State government’s Dev Darshan scheme.
Despite Vailankanni being one of the most preferred pilgrimage destinations for Goans cutting across caste and creed, the train left with only around 460 pilgrims against a total capacity of nearly 1,200 seats.
The low turnout has also raised concerns over whether the Goa government will bear the full cost of Rs 1.27 crore for the pilgrimage despite fewer than 500 pilgrims undertaking the journey.
Of the 460-odd pilgrims on board, around 100 are from the St Cruz constituency.
Social Welfare Minister Subhash Faldesai flagged off the train at Margao railway station on Friday in the presence of Social Welfare Director Dipak Desai. Faldesai acknowledged that although additional bogies were attached to increase capacity, the train departed with a significantly lower number of pilgrims.
Sources attributed the poor response to delays in informing prospective pilgrims. “Vailankanni attracts pilgrims throughout the year and there is never a shortage of devotees. Sending a train with less than 500 pilgrims, when it can accommodate around 1,200, has denied many Goans the opportunity to undertake this pilgrimage,” a source said.
Addressing the media after the flag-off, Faldesai said the Chief Minister’s Dev Darshan scheme was launched this year with the Vailankanni pilgrimage. He added that a similar pilgrimage has been scheduled to Ayodhya on January 19.
“The government has made comprehensive arrangements for pilgrims, right from boarding the train to transportation by coaches at the destination. Refreshments, breakfast, lunch and dinner are being provided. After reaching Vailankanni, pilgrims will be taken to the church following a brief rest, and later escorted back to their hotels before the return journey,” he said.
Responding to questions on the low occupancy, Faldesai said the train could not run at full capacity due to a lack of time to make adequate announcements. However, he expressed confidence that the Ayodhya pilgrimage would operate at full capacity, citing a large number of inquiries received by the department.
He also said Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has sanctioned Rs 8 crore for pilgrimages, adding that the department has already cleared pending bills of Rs 2 crore related to earlier pilgrimages.
