East Coast Railway (ECoR) General Manager Rajeev Vishnoi on Monday reviewed the railway arrangements for the Rath Yatra to be held at Puri. He instructed officers of the Khurda Road Division to give utmost priority to comforts and conveniences of pilgrims coming to Puri by rail.
He laid stress on safety, security and punctuality of the Rath Yatra special trains. He also laid great emphasis on sanitation and cleanliness of the station premises in view of huge crowd congregations. Vishnoi ordered opening of a round-the-clock control room to look into passengers’ issues as well as smooth train operations. Efforts are to be made to run special trains connecting new destinations with Puri by rail to facilitate maximum participation of public in the Rath Yatra, he said.
Railway sources said highest emphasis is to be given on effective announcements at the stations and smooth disbursal of tickets through additional ticket booking counters. Traffic and other arrangements and facilities at other important stations also need to be given attention.
RPF personnel were advised to remain in the highest state of alertness all through the festival period. Among others, senior Heads of Departments of the ECoR and Divisional Railway Manager, Khurda Road attended the meeting.