Fares of special trains to Velankanni feast hiked, alleges Congress

Goa Congress has alleged that Railways have hiked the fares of special trains to ferry pilgrims for the Velankanni feast in Tamil Nadu. "The Union government led by BJP has increased the fares of special trains to ferry the pilgrims to Velankanni. Thousands of people take advantage of this train annually to participate in this festival. This move by the BJP-led government is anti-minority," Goa Congress spokesman Trajano D'Mello alleged.

The special trains for Velankanni would leave on September 3 and 8 in addition to the regular trains. The feast of Our Lady of Velankanni would be held on September 8. D'Mello claimed that the current fare hike is 300 per cent, which has made the tickets unaffordable for many poor people who would like to visit the shrine.

"Rather than showing their anti-minority stand, BJP should have subsidised the ticket so that everyone can visit the shrine," he said. He recalled that the special trains were first introduced when Luizinho Faleiro was Chief Minister of Goa.

"Congress had understood the requirement of having special trains. But BJP is trying to foil the purpose of having special trains by hiking the fare," he said.

D'Mello demanded that Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu should immediately intervene and roll back the hike in fares.