Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The grand and much-awaited Ellora Ajanta International (EAI) Festival once again will be celebrated without international and domestic tourists of the state’s pride and luxury train, - Deccan Odyssey.
The three-day-long festival will be conducted from February 2 to 4. According to the official website, the train will make seven trips during 2024–25. The train journey’s for seven nights and eight days. It starts from Mumbai via Nashik (Day 2), Aurangabad-Ellora Caves (Day 3), Ajanta Caves (Day 4), Kolhapur (Day 5), Goa (Day 6), Sindhudurg (Day 7), and returns to Mumbai (Day 8). The first trip was scheduled for January 13 (but it arrived here with 12 passengers on January 12), and the second trip is scheduled for March 30.
The tourism expert, on condition of anonymity, said, "The Deccan Odyssey is Maharashtra’s splendour. It is the most sought-after train after the Palace of Wheels. However, I got hurt after knowing that it is not reaching here. The elite passengers onboard have the chance to witness the cultural celebrations live and interact with local people.”
It is learnt that the office of the Deputy Director (Tourism) has requested the Directorate of Tourism (DoT) to make arrangements (if possible) so that the tourists on board could attend at least one day of the festival. If they arrive, the office has plans to provide free entry tickets to these train passengers.
Six foreign students from Pune
Meanwhile, six foreign students who are attached to a Pune-based, reputed IT company have given their consent to attend the festival for one day.
40 embassies from Mumbai-Delhi
The district collector and EAI Festival Committee, Astik Kumar Pandey, has issued a letter to the offices of the embassies of 40 different countries in Mumbai and Delhi to inform their country’s tourists in India about the festival. Besides, officials of the IAS, IPS, IRS, and other cadres from all over India have also been invited to grace the festival. They have been requested to forward their official consent to the email ID - ddtourismaurangabad@gmail.com, said EAI Festival Committee secretary and deputy director (tourism) Vijay Jadhav. He, however, refused to comment on the possibility of rescheduling the Deccan Odyssey, saying that it is in the jurisdiction of headquarters.