A special train will be run from the Bhubaneswar to Western Odisha for Nuakhai

Sambalpur: The demand for running special trains from the capital Bhubaneswar to various cities of West Odisha for Ganparb Nuanukhai is gaining momentum. Nuanukhai, the major festival of West Odisha, is unique from other festivals in the country. The people of West Odisha, who are settled in the corners of the country for earning a living, come to their homes in Nuunkhai anyway. People who live in remote areas often come home after a long period of time, so they leave before 2/3 of New Year’s Eve. After spending 2/3 days laughing in the company of relatives and friends with Nuanukhai, they go back to the place where they live to earn a living. Due to this reason, the people of West Odisha living outside have to face a lot of difficulties to come home with their children. People of West Odisha live in various districts of East Odisha along with the capital Bhubaneswar. Apart from this, lakhs of people are also settled in different parts of the country. Not all cities have direct train connections. As a result, most of the people living outside the state come to Bhubaneshwar by train or flight and then go back to their home district/city. Due to the lack of proper communication system, the people of West Odisha living in coastal district also leave for their destination after coming to Bhubaneshwar.

However, only few regular trains are running from Bhubaneswar to West Odisha. It becomes difficult to get seats/berths in those trains during normal times. It is not possible to get a seat/bed unless the ticket is booked at least one week in advance. Keeping in view the convenience and time requirements of the people, special trains are run by the Railways during Dashar, Rath Yatra etc. Therefore, in view of Nuukhai, special trains have been demanded to run between Bhubaneswar-Belpahad, Bhubaneswar-Khariyar Road, Bhubaneswar-Junagarh Road, Bhubaneswar Titilagarh, Bhubaneswar-Rourkela at least between August 28 and September 4. The locals have been making such demands for many years. However, the Railways has been ignoring this public demand. Dissatisfaction is building up in the minds of the locals.