Centre assures trains for Delhi's free pilgrimage scheme

New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) A day after the Delhi government announced temporary suspension of the Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia met Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and said the Centre has assured that trains will be made available for the free pilgrimage scheme.Sisodia, after the meeting, told the media that Goyal has assured him that trains would be made available for the pilgrimage very soon."Goyal assured that soon after rakes are available, trains would be made available for the scheme," Sisodia said. He was accompanied by AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh.On Wednesday, Sisodia said the "Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana" had been suspended temporarily, claiming that the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) had cancelled the trains scheduled from December 10 onwards due to non-availability of rakes.The Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana enables 1,100 senior citizens from each of the 70 Assembly constituencies of Delhi per year to undertake the free pilgrimage, the expenses for which will be borne by the Delhi government.The routes covered under the scheme are: Delhi-Mathura-Vrindavan-Agra-Fatehpur Sikri-Delhi; Delhi-Haridwar-Rishikesh-Neelkanth-Delhi; Delhi-Ajmer-Pushkar-Delhi; Delhi-Amritsar-Wagah border-Anandpur Sahib-Delhi; and Delhi-Vaishno Devi-Jammu-Delhi.
--IANS nks/adr/bg