Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], October 23 (ANI): Ahead of Chhath Puja, railway authorities in Sealdah have strengthened arrangements to manage the festive rush. Divisional Railway Managers (DRM) said 136 trains, including 8 special services, are being operated, with holding areas, water facilities, and a war room set up to monitor crowds round the clock.

From Kolkata to Ambala and Visakhapatnam, railway officials are making all efforts to handle the festive rush.

Speaking to ANI, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Sealdah, Rajeev Saxena, said the Eastern Railway has taken extensive steps to manage the increased foot traffic.

'We have operated 136 trains this time...8 special trains are also being operated from Kolkata...We have also created a holding area in Sealdah and Kolkata where passengers arriving early will be accommodated...To monitor the crowd, we have set up a war room, which receives live feeds from our stations...We have a large number of RPF staff... We have also availed the facilities of ex-servicemen,' he said.

Senior Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Jasram Meena, Sealdah, told ANI that extensive planning for Chhath Puja began months in advance.

'For this, we conduct an exercise 2-3 months in advance to decide how many trains we want to run in which areas...This year we have planned 136 trains...We have scheduled 8 additional trains...From the war room, we keep a round-the-clock watch on Sealdah and Kolkata stations...We have arranged water facilities and created a holding area...Manpower is available there around the clock...We also keep M-UTS (Mobile Unreserved Ticketing System) employees at the end of the queues,' Meena said.

In Ambala, Haryana, Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu inspected arrangements at Ambala railway station on Wednesday, reassuring passengers of ample train availability.

'There is no shortage of trains... There is no problem anywhere. Monitoring is being done by setting up a war room... I request the passengers not to panic. Passengers should not travel in the bathroom; another train will arrive. It is our responsibility to get you to your destination before Chhath Puja,' Bittu told reporters.

Meanwhile, in the Visakhapatnam Division, Lalit Bohra, Divisional Railway Manager of Waltair, said that Indian Railways is operating an extensive network of special services to meet the festival demand.

'Because of the festival rush, the number of passengers has increased substantially. The Indian Railway has taken various initiatives to ensure that travel is comfortable. Indian Railways is running more than 12,000 special trains to clear the festival rush. The Waltair Division is running about 209 special trains. Out of which, 67 trains are originating from the division, and the remaining are bypassing, so they have a halt at various stations... About more than 600 extra coaches are added,' Bohra added.

Chhath Puja is widely celebrated across the country, particularly in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh.

The festival starts with Nahay-Khay on the Chaturthi Tithi of Kartik Shukla Paksha, focusing on purification and preparation. This is followed by Kharna on Panchami Tithi, Chhath Puja on Sashti, and concludes with Usha Arghya on Saptami Tithi.

Chhath Puja, dedicated to the Sun God, is celebrated across various Indian states and internationally. This year, it spans from October 25 to 28. (ANI)