Mumbai: Special trains fully booked, BJP demands more trains to Konkan ahead of Ganesh festival

Mumbai BJP (MLA) and former minister Ashish Shelar has urged the Union Minister of State for Railways, Raosaheb Danve, to consider the proposal for adding more trains before the Ganesh festival in September to ensure hassle-free travel of those heading to Konkan.

Shelar said, “met and requested Raosaheb Danve, who is MoS Railways, to consider more train services to Konkan. During the Ganesh festival, people from Konkan living in Mumbai return to their native villages to celebrate the festival. ”

There are thousands of people still waiting to book their tickets, he added.

The ten-day Ganesh festival, which will begin on September 10, will be low-key in wake of strict Covid guidelines. Even the height of Ganesh idols has been restricted to four feet for community celebration (sarvajanik) and two feet for those installed at homes.

During 2019, apart from special trains, the railways had provided 647 additional train coaches and 210 to and fro train services to tackle the Konkan-bound crowd. They also made provisions for multiple ticket booking centres.