President Ram Nath Kovind went to Kanpur on a 5-day visit on Friday. His native village is in Kanpur, where he has reached. The special thing is that to go to Kanpur, the President boarded a special train, which is called the Presidential Train. The President reached Kanpur from New Delhi. Governor Anandiben Patel was present along with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to welcome the President at Kanpur Central Railway Station. President Kovind has visited his birthplace in Kanpur Dehat, Parok. The country's first lady (wife of the President) Savita Devi Kovind also left with him.
This has happened in India after many years when a President has traveled to some place by special presidential train. This train left for Kanpur from Safdarjung railway station in New Delhi on Thursday. On this special occasion, apart from Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, all the top railway officials were present at the station to welcome the President at Safdarjung station. Railway Board Chairman Sunit Sharma was also present. After almost 15 years, the President of the country has left for some place by train.
What is the history of this train
The Presidential Train was prepared in 1956, whose job is to take the President of the country on a tour. Later this Presidential train was sent to the Rail Museum because of the huge expenditure on its maintenance. In 2006, the last time the then President Dr. Abdul Kalam Azad had traveled from Delhi to Dehradun. Later, the expenditure on this train was said by President Ram Nath Kovind to be unnecessary, after which it was sent to the Rail Museum.
Such a train is called a saloon. President Ram Nath Kovind had told the Railways that there is no need for such a salon now in view of the huge expenditure. After this, in view of the President's visit to Kanpur, the Ministry of Railways arranged a special train. The first stop of this train was Jhinjhak railway station in Kanpur where the President Ram Nath Kovind was warmly received by the railway officials and other officials. The President also interacted with his old acquaintances and well-wishers here. After the hesitation, the next stop of the train was Rura where the President got down and accepted the greetings of many local people.
Dr. Rajendra Prasad has also traveled
Like Ramnath Kovind, Abdul Kalam Azad, the country's first President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad has also traveled by presidential train. Then its use was more because the President or other dignitaries used to travel inside the country by trains only. Air travel was less prevalent then. This process continued till the 70s when even big officials like the President used to run by trains. However, this train was decommissioned in 2008 as its trend decreased and air travel increased. Its cost also started coming very high, along with the consumption of time was different. For these reasons, the two-coach Presidential Saloon was taken out of service in 2008. The President did not go to Kanpur by the Presidential train, but the Railways arranged a special train for him from which he left.
No comments:
Post a Comment