Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has urged Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu to introduce Shatabdi train service between Kurukshetra and Mathura to facilitate easier travelling for tourists and pilgrims.
In a letter to Prabu, he said, Haryana government has taken up the development of Kurukshetra as a part of the Krishna Circuit in a big way with the support of the Union Tourism Ministry.
While Mathura in Uttar Pradesh is the "Janam Bhumi" of Lord Sri Krishna, Kurukshetra in Haryana is the "Karam Bhumi" where he gave the message of the Bhagavad Gita to the world, the Chief Minister said.
There is a huge potential for domestic and international religious tourism between Kurukshetra and Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. However, there is no direct train connectivity between the two places which puts thousands of pilgrims and tourists at a lot of inconvenience, Khattar said.
The pilgrims visiting one site are usually also keen to visit the other. Therefore, introduction of a new Shatabdi train between these two places would boost tourism in the region, he said.
Khattar also urged the Railway Minister to increase the frequency of operation of the Garib Rath train, which connects Chandigarh and Ajmer, to daily basis.
This train now runs three days a week, that is, Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from Chandigarh, and on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday from Ajmer.
