Ranchi: In the first in Jharkhand, catering Indian trains and Corporation Limited (IRCTC) will operate pilgrims from the state to leading temples in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala later this year.
The tour package, which has been baptized ‘Dakshin Bharat Yatra’, will be held between 21 and 29 September, IRCTC officials here say on Friday.
IRCTC said the train will begin his journey from the Asansol train station in West Bengal and will stop at Ranchi, Bokaro Steel City, Tatanagar Station in Jharkhand.
It will reach the Renigunta train station in Andhra Pradesh, where passengers will be able to visit Tempupati Temple.
The train will then stop at Rameshwaram, Madurai and Kankumari in Tamil Nadu before rolling to Kochuveli station in Kerala.
In Kochuveli, pilgrims can visit the Padmanabhaswamy temple before starting their return trip.
One passenger will be charged with Rs 10,395, the IRCTC official said.
Yuvraj Minz, the IrCTC Regional Manager in Ranchi, said the train would have two insulation trainers for passengers if they developed the symptoms of Covid-19 during the trip.
Overall, the train will have room for 700 passengers.
“All passengers must be required to produce a Covid-19 vaccination certificate before starting the journey.
Passengers will be allowed only if they have taken their dose,” said Head of the IRCTC Supervisor Jyoti Kumari.
However, contrary to established IRCTC norms, the passengers will be returned to the full cost if they choose out of the tour after contracting Covid-19 infection, Kumari added.
In particular, this will be the first tour of the IRCTC package because the regional office was established in Ranchi in 2016.
Between 2015 and 2019, Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation (JTDC) had run completely subsidized Mukhyamantri Tirth Darshan Yojana for families living below the poverty line.