New Delhi: With the beginning of Chhath festival, the difficulties of travellers going to Bihar and Purvanchal have increased. A huge crowd of people returning to their homes from big cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru and Chennai is being seen at railway stations, bus stands and airports. It has become difficult to get confirmed tickets on many major trains. At the same time, those travelling by air also have to spend huge amount for tickets. The situation is such that the flight fare to Patna on some routes has crossed Rs 44 thousand. In view of the increasing crowd of passengers, Railways and State Governments have also made additional arrangements.
Why are passengers worried about confirmed tickets in trains?
On the occasion of Chhath, the number of passengers in trains going to Bihar has increased significantly. Ticket booking has been closed in many major trains, while long waiting lists are running in other trains. 37,698 tickets were purchased in a day for trains going from Surat's Udhna station to Jaynagar in Bihar. For the convenience of passengers, Railways has arranged 103 pairs of special trains for Bihar and surrounding states.
How expensive is the flight ticket to Patna?
Due to not getting seats in the train, many people are choosing the option of air travel. But due to increase in demand for flights during festivals, fares have also gone up considerably. According to online booking options available on November 13, the lowest fare from Delhi to Patna was starting at Rs 15,367 and from Mumbai was starting at Rs 18,401. At the same time, the maximum fare from Bengaluru to Patna reached Rs 36,244 and from Chennai reached Rs 41,282. The most expensive ticket available from Lucknow to Patna was shown at Rs 44,625.
77 buses started from Delhi to Bihar
To reduce the problems of passengers, Delhi and Bihar governments together have started 77 interstate bus services. These buses are being operated from Anand Vihar Bus Terminal for five divisions of Bihar. These include 36 buses for Muzaffarpur, 13 for Patna, 12 for Purnia, 10 for Gaya and 6 for Darbhanga. Passengers are also being given concession in fare ranging from Rs 134 to Rs 1,028 depending on the class and route of the buses.
What are the security arrangements at railway stations?
Railways have created holding areas to control the increasing crowd at stations during the festival. Ticket counters, help desks, toilets and catering facilities have been provided at Anand Vihar and New Delhi railway stations in Delhi. Apart from this, CCTV and AI based monitoring is being done at major stations. 2,040 RPF personnel have been deployed for security at major railway stations of Delhi.
