The State tourism department has introduced a special charter flight for devotees between Jamshedpur and Deoghar.
Tourism principal secretary Sajal Chakravorty who was here on Friday told mediapersons that a nine-seater Cessna Caravan aircraft belonging to Pinnacle Aviation Private limited, owned by a local businessman , will be pressed into service for the trip to Baba Baidyanathdham. “Its our ambitious project to cater to the needs of the devotees. The flight service will begin from August 1. Booking for the tickets will commence from July 21,” he said. The trip which is a part of ‘Premium Darshan, will cost Rs 14,999. “ We decided to start such a service with an aim at ending the ordeal of standing in never-ending queues for those who can afford it. The trip between the two destinations will take 50 minutes,” he added.
Shedding light on the initiative Chakravorty, the entire trip will take about 3.5 hours . After reaching Deoghar, the devotees will be taken to Natraj Vihar, a hotel owned by tourism department . After light refreshments the devotees will be taken to the temple. The package will also include Ganga Jal Puja kit. Shravan Mela will start from July 22 and continue for one month. The flight service will run till August 21.
“We are sure that this experiment will be a huge hit as there are many who want to go to Deoghar but cannot do so because of lack of time and the huge rush. The air link will not only reduce the travel time, as it will take merely 50 minutes to reach Deoghar, but will also ensure a special visit to the temple, which is a bonus,” he said. The authorities are hoping to draw tourists and devotees from outside the state too.