Eastern Railway General Manager Inspects Chhath Puja Arrangements at Sealdah Station
Eastern Railway General Manager Inspects Chhath Puja Arrangements at Sealdah Station
Kolkata, November 12, 2026:
Ms. Gitika Pandey, General Manager, Eastern Railway, personally visited Sealdah station today to review passenger arrangements and festive readiness for Chhath Puja. She was accompanied during the inspection by Shri Ram Nath Thakur, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Member of Parliament, along with Shri Rajeev Saxena, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Sealdah Division.
During the visit, the dignitaries inspected the passenger holding area and reviewed on-ground facilities before visiting two specially decorated AC coaches (one First AC and one Second AC) of Train No. 13185 Gangasagar Express (Sealdah–Jaynagar). Under the special initiative titled “Cultural Harmony through Art,” Sealdah Division has wrapped the interiors and exteriors of these coaches with artwork blending traditional Mithila paintings with the iconic landmarks and heritage of Kolkata, symbolising the cultural bond between Bengal and Mithila. Ms. Pandey and the visiting dignitaries also interacted directly with passengers travelling on the Gangasagar Express to gather feedback on their travel experience.
To manage the festive rush between November 1 and November 30, 2026, Eastern Railway has notified a total of 995 TOD (Train on Demand) special train trips—a substantial increase from 750 total trips operated during the 2025 Chhath festival. This year’s notified services comprise 670 reserved trips and 325 unreserved trips to ensure smooth and comfortable travel for devotees.
Comprehensive safety, crowd management, and healthcare measures have also been scaled up across all divisions. Dedicated 24×7 festival monitoring war rooms are operating round-the-clock at ER Headquarters and across Howrah, Sealdah, Malda, and Asansol divisions for real-time crowd monitoring, security checks, and rapid passenger assistance. Total CCTV camera coverage has been increased by 24.4% from 1,050 in 2025 to 1,306 in 2026, alongside an 11.65% boost in RPF personnel deployment from 1,235 to 1,379. Furthermore, total passenger holding areas have been expanded by 32.97% to 1,45,177 sq. ft., supported by 434 commercial staff, marking a 22.25% increase from last year. On the healthcare front, seven medical booths with emergency ambulance services are active at Sealdah, while Howrah features two round-the-clock emergency medical rooms and one medical booth, backed by emergency response teams across divisions.
Shri Shibram Majhi, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Eastern Railway, stated, “Eastern Railway remains fully committed to ensuring safe, seamless, and memorable journeys for every Chhath Puja devotee through enhanced special train services, vigilant round-the-clock monitoring, and initiatives celebrating our rich cultural heritage.”