Flights from 9 Cities under Udaan Scheme and 80 Express Trains are part of measures taken for improved connectivity to Takht Sri Hazur Sahib under Modi government: says Union Ministers
MP Satnam Singh Sandhu Raises Issue of Enhancing Air & Rail Connectivity to Takht Hazur Sahib during ongoing Winter Session
Three New Rail Lines announced by PM Modi Government connecting Naded to other parts of country will offer more connectivity for the pilgrims says MP Satnam Sandhu
New Delhi:To fulfill the aspirations of Sikh community, Modi government has undertaken a slew of measures to enhance the air and rail connectivity to Takht Sri Hazur Sahib in Maharashtra in the last 10 years.Under the UDAN 5.0, the air connectivity from Nanded to Ahmedabad, Hindon, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Pune, Patna, Adampur and Goa has already been done and various airlines provide flight services form these 9 cities to Takht Sri Hazur Sahib which is one of the five Takhts of Sikhism. For the hassle-free pilgrimage to one of the most sacred Sikh shrines, currently there are 80 Mail Express and 13 passenger trains run from different parts of the countryto Sri Hazur Sahib in Naded district, Maharashtra. The airline services from Adampur in Jalandhar to Nanded Sahib were resumed under Modi government this year and PM Modi has also announced to resume flight services from Amritsar to Sri Hazur Sahib soon which will facilitate easy and hassle-free pilgrimage of Sikh devotees from Punjab. The work to enhance air connectivity to Takht Hazur Sahib is going on and more flights will be started soon. Lakhs of pilgrims visit the holiest of Sikh shrine every year. This information was shared by Union Minister of Aviation and Union Minister of Railways, Government of India during the ongoing Winter Session in Rajya Sabha in response to the questions asked by the Member of Parliament, Satnam Singh Sandhu regarding the steps taken by Union Government to enhance the air and rail connectivity to Takht Sri Hazur Sahib at Nanded district in Maharashtra.
Member of Parliament (MP) Rajya Sabha, Satnam Singh Sandhu has raised the issue of enhancing connectivity to one of the most sacred Sikh shrines Takht Sri Hazur Sahib (Nanded Sahib) in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament.
Raising the issue of enhancing the connectivity to Takht Sri Hazur Sahib which falls in the Nanded district of Marathwada region in Maharashtra, during the Question Hour, MP Satnam Singh Sandhu asked Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Government of Indiaabout the steps taken by the union government to enhance air connectivity to Takht Sri Hazur Sahib. He also asked to share details regarding the new air connectivity projects planned for religious and historical sites related to Sikhism by the government.
It is pertinent to mention here that Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib is one of the five takhts of Sikh religion and holds utmost significance for Sikhs all over the world as it is the final resting place of the 10th Guru of Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh Ji. On an average more than 6 lakhs pilgrims visit the Takht Sri Hazur Sahib from all over the world every year.
In a reply to the Member of Parliament Satnam Sandhu’s question asked during Question Hour, Union Minister of Civil Aviation for the Government of India, Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu responded, “Nanded Airport owned by MIDC (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation) was operationalized for flights in April, 2017. Under the UDAN 5.0, the air connectivity from Nanded to Ahmedabad, Hindon, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Pune, Patna, Adampur and Goa have already been done and various airlines provide flight services form these 9 cities.Moreover, Star Air has commenced operation on routes connecting Nanded to Ahmedabad, Hindon, Bangalore and Hyderabad in March 2024 and Nanded to Nagpur and Pune in June, 2024 with 76-seater type of aircraft.”
In another question MP Satnam Singh Sandhu asked Union Minister of Railways regarding the rail connectivity projects undertaken by the government to improveconnectivity to Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib. Sandhu asked to share details regarding the new rail connectivity projects to Sri Hazur Sahib and whether the Government is planning to extend the currently operational Vande Bharat train from Jalna station to Mumbai, by starting from Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib.
Responding to the question asked by MP Satnam Singh Sandhu, Union Minister of Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply said, “Takht Sachkhand Sri Huzur Sahib, Nandedis already connected with the railway network. However, to further improve the connectivity, there are number of projects have been sanctioned for development of infrastructure in Nanded region including doubling of Aurangabad - Ankai (98 km), doubling of Parli-Parbhani (64.71 km), new railway Line between Wardha and Nanded (via Yevatmal-Pusood) (284 km), Ankai bye pass (2.211 km), Purna Bye pass (3.22 km), Mudkhed bye pass (2.57 km) and new rail line Ahmednagar-Beed-Parle Vaijnath (261 km).”
Sharing details about the projects for which surveys have also been sanctioned in the Nanded region, the railway minister said, “There are several projects for which surveys have been sanctioned including Doubling of Parbhani - Aurangabad (177 km), doubling of Akola Purna (212 km), New Line between Bidar-Nanded (155 km), New Line between Latur Road and Nanded (104 km) Hazur Sahib Nanded is presently being served by 80 MailExpress and 13 passenger train services.Further, Hazur Sahib Nanded-Mumbai sector and Hazur Sahib Nanded-Jalna sector are presently being served by 5 pairs and 20 pairs of train services. However, extension of train services including Vande Bharat train services is an ongoing process on Indian Railways, subject to traffic justification, operational feasibility, availability of resources.”
Speaking to the media persons, Member of Parliament Satnam Singh Sandhu said, “It is quite encouraging to see that flights to Nanded from nine locations have been sanctioned out of which six are already operational. Takht Sachkhand Shri Hazur Sahib is such a sacred and revered place where the Tenth Guru, Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji and merged in the Jyoti Jot. At Hazur Sahib, Guru Gobind Singh Ji is believed to be ever-present. Millions, if not billions of devotees wish to bow their heads at this holy site, but connectivity has always been a challenge.”
Talking about connectivity to Sachkhand, he elaborated, “Prime Minister Modi ji has taken countless steps to improve the connectivity of the Takhts of the Sikh faith and initiated several projects to link these Takhts. Prime Minister, under the UDAN scheme, first announced flights from Adampur to Nanded Sahib and has now announced flights from Shri Amritsar to Nanded Sahib, honoring the sentiments of the Sikh community.”