The West Central Railway's Bhopal division on Thursday, 12 November rolled out a range of special measures at key stations to ease the festive travel surge ahead of Chhath Puja, blending cultural outreach with stepped-up security for thousands of passengers heading to Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Devotional Songs Set the Mood at Stations

Traditional Chhath devotional songs are now being broadcast through public announcement systems at Rani Kamlapati, Itarsi, Bina, and Guna railway stations, timed to play before the departure of special trains toward Bihar. Popular folk compositions including 'Kelawa Ke Paat Par Ugelan Surujdev', 'Kaanch Hi Baans Ke Bahangiya', and 'Chhathi Maiya Ke Karab Hum Varatiya' are filling station premises with familiar devotional music.

The initiative is designed to recreate a slice of home for migrant passengers making their annual journey back to their native places — many of whom travel hundreds of kilometres for the festival. Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Saurabh Kataria described the effort as a way 'to connect passengers with the country's diverse cultural traditions and make their journey more welcoming.'

Security Reinforced Ahead of Peak Travel Days

Beyond the cultural gesture, the division has deployed additional checking staff and Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel across major stations to manage crowd flow and maintain order during the high-footfall period. CCTV cameras are being utilised for continuous monitoring of passenger movement.

Kataria confirmed that 'additional checking staff and RPF personnel have been deployed at major stations, while CCTV cameras are being used for continuous monitoring.' The combined measures reflect the logistical scale of Chhath travel, which annually places heavy pressure on railway infrastructure across central and eastern India.

About Chhath Puja and This Year's Schedule

Chhath is a four-day festival dedicated to the worship of the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya, observed with rigorous fasting and prayers offered to both the setting and the rising sun. The festival holds deep religious and cultural significance, particularly in Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern Uttar Pradesh, and draws one of the largest seasonal migration flows in the country.

This year's observance begins on 13 November with Nahay Khay, followed by Kharna on 14 November. Devotees will offer Sandhya Arghya to the setting sun on 15 November, and the festival concludes on 16 November with Usha Arghya to the rising sun, after which the fast is broken.

Why Passenger Management Matters This Season

The scale of movement associated with Chhath consistently tests railway capacity across central and north India. Special trains are run each year on routes connecting major cities to Bihar and Jharkhand, yet demand frequently outpaces supply. This comes amid broader pressure on Indian Railways to manage festive-season crowds safely, following overcrowding incidents on other corridors in recent years. The Bhopal division's proactive deployment of RPF personnel and CCTV monitoring signals an awareness that security and smooth passenger flow are as much a part of festive management as logistics alone.