Deccan Odyssey can now chug beyond state, rules high court

The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation’s (MTDC) move to turn the loss-making Deccan Odyssey, a luxury train, into a revenue generating venture by stretching its route beyond Maharashtra is not violative of the law, the Bombay high court held on Friday. 

A petition filed by Harshad Gawade from Vengurla had taken objection to the train, leased to a Delhi-based private company recently, plying through tourist destinations in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi instead of within Maharashtra.  

Gawade had urged the court to quash the agreement between the MTDC and The Luxury Trains and the Travel Corporation (India) Limited, a Thomas Cook subsidiary that subleased the train. He had also asked the court to restrain the private companies from changing the train’s name to The Indian Maharaja. Gawade had stated in his petition: “This would lead to a tremendous loss of earnings, livelihood, income to the local and rural population of Maharashtra.”

Justices DY Chandrachud and RP Sondurbaldota, however, said that the policy decision of the MTDC cannot be faulted as violative of Article 14 (equality before the law) of the constitution. They held that although the Deccan Odyssey was aimed at showcasing tourism within the state, “it could not operate in the face of continued losses.”

The court has directed the government to widely publicise the availability of the train on charter hire basis for the next season.