Special train service between Dharma Nagar and Agartala for ‘Kharchi Puja’ up to 9th July

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, July 4, 2025

The NF railway authority will run a pair of special trains on the busy Agartala-Dharma Nagar route from today up to July 9 night on the occasion of the ongoing ‘Kharchi Puja’ to ensure safe and cheap journey for the devotees. The annual ‘Kharchi Puja’ had long been a household ‘Puja’ of the state’s royal family up till the shifting of the royal capital from Puran Haveli (old Agartala) to the present Agartala town in 1838 during the reign of ‘Maharaja’ Krishna Kishore Manikya (1830-1849). But gradually the Hindu Bengalis also embraced this as their own annual ‘Puja’ alongside the indigenous tribals and now it has become a cross-community ‘Puja’ for Hindu tribals and Bengalis except the Muslims and Christians. Actually all fourteen deities in the group of 14 belong to the Hindu pantheon.

As in previous years this year also the ‘Kharchi Puja’ has already commenced from yesterday amidst great enthusiasm among devotees and in order to facilitate easy journey of devotees to and from the ‘Chaturdasha Debta’ temple and their homes the railway authority have introduced two special trains with six extra bogeys each. This is expected to ease the journey of devotees and the minister for transport Sushanta Chowdhury has thanked the prime minister Narendra Modi, chief minister Dr Manik Saha and the railway minister Ashwini Vaishnav for arrangement of the special trains on the occasion of ‘Kharchi Puja’.

Meanwhile , the small traders and businessmen and women who have come from different parts of the state with their commodities for sale in the weeklong fair along with the ‘Puja’ and festival have complained of extortion of hefty amounts by mafia elements owing allegiance to the ruling party in Puratan Agartala. Even though the local MLA Ratan Chakraborty Ratan Chakraborty had announced earlier that no money would be charged from traders participating in the fair , a small trader from Khowai has been forced to pay Rs 23 thousand for a week for space to sit with his merchandise while an ice-cream seller has been forced to pay Rs 14 thousand . They said that it would be almost impossible for them to earn sufficient money from sale in the fair after paying these hefty amounts only for five days. But there is nobody to listen to their grievances .

more news...