Singur (West Bengal), Nov 29 (IANS) To help pilgrims attend the annual religious fair Gangasagar Mela, the railway ministry has decided to run two special trains in January connecting Delhi and Namkhana, a station close to the venue.
“Two special trains will run from Delhi carrying pilgrims for Gangasagar on January 10,” Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee announced at a function here Sunday.

The trains will go via Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and reach Namkhana in South 24-Parganas.

On the return journey, the trains will start from Namkhana Jan 16.

“These trains will be of immense help to the pilgrims,” Banerjee said after laying the foundation stone of a perishable cargo centre in Hooghly district.

“In fact, the south 24-Parganas district council had requested me to arrange for special trains for the pilgrims,” she said.

Sagar Island, about 150 km south of Bengal, is a famous Hindu pilgrim spot. Every year, on Makar Sankranti (an auspicious day on the Hindu calendar) on Jan 14, thousands of people gather there to take a dip in the Ganga river and offer puja.

This year, Makar Sankranti falls Jan 14.