Direct train from Agartala to ease journey of devotees to Deogarh

Agartala (Tripura) : A new direct train from Agartala has been flagged off that will make the journey of the devotees to the pilgrim town of Deoghar easier.

The Deoghar weekly express was flagged off by Tripura Chief Minister Bilab Kumar Deb and State Railways Minister Rajen Gohain at Agartala Railway station on Friday.

State Transport minister Pranajit Singha Roy, Members of Parliament Jharna Das Baidya and Sankar Prasad Dutta, Chief Secretary Sanjeev Ranjan and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Sunil Deodhar were also present at the event.

Speaking at the occasion, Chief Minister Deb said, "Connectivity plays a key role in developing a state and this (connectivity) has been improved in Tripura over the past four years."

The Chief Minister also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for turning North East into HIRA (Highways, Internet ways, Railways and Airways) through better connectivity.

He also praised Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal for starting the new train for pilgrimage to Anukulchandra's shrine at Deoghar on the birthday of Bharatiya Jana Sangha founder Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.

Addressing the gathering at the inaugural event, State Railway Minister Gohain said, "India has witnessed a lot of positive change under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has given highest importance to the North East region."

The train, having 16 coaches, will travel 1462 km in 39 hours to reach Deoghar, with 20 stoppages on its way.