PANAJI
The State government’s revived Mukhyamantri Dev Darshan Scheme, off to an uncertain and modest start earlier this month, has now swung sharply in the opposite direction, with officials reporting surging response to its Ayodhya pilgrimages.
The final trip of the current financial year is scheduled for February 2, with online bookings expected to open on Wednesday.
“The January 19 and January 26 trips saw more than the capacity of the train, which is 1,200. Some pilgrims even tried last-minute booking from the railway station,” Social Welfare Director Deepak Desai told The Goan.
He revealed that the January 19 trip saw around 1,300 passengers, while the January 26 trip saw around 65 more than the usual 1,200 capacity. “However, as per the protocol, we stuck to 1,200 for each of the two trips,” he said.
With the February 2 Ayodhya departure closing the current financial year’s schedule, the next phase of pilgrimages will be announced only after the State Budget, he said.
The inaugural train, January 9 pilgrimage to Vailankanni, departed with barely 460 passengers -- less than half its capacity of about 1,200. Officials had then acknowledged that the journey, the first under the relaunched programme, was undermined by a rushed announcement, procedural lags and the sudden shift to compulsory online registration. A government warning that last-minute cancellations could attract penalties further deterred several applicants.
The next two trips -- both to Ayodhya -- drew crowds well beyond capacity. Officials noted that interest surged once the public became familiar with the digital process. For three years, the scheme relied on physical forms submitted at government offices. The abrupt migration to an online system -- welcomed by staff for the order and transparency it introduced -- left many first-time applicants struggling.
To ease the transition, the department thereafter set up help desks in North Goa, South Goa and at its Panaji head office, where staff assisted applicants with digital submissions.
