Mumbai: Catholics Urge CM Eknath Shinde To Include Velankanni Shrine In Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana

Mumbai: Catholics in Mumbai have asked Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to include the Mother Mary shrine in Velankanni, Tamil Nadu, under the Maharashtra Mukhyamantri Teerth Darshan Yojana programme that provides a once-in-a-lifetime all-expenses paid pilgrimage to economically weak senior citizens to 73 religious places across the country.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced the scheme on June 28 for people of all faiths. Under this scheme persons above 60 years will be funded by the State Government up to Rs 30,000 towards food, stay and travel. The list also includes 66 religious places within Maharashtra.

The Mobai Gaothan Panchayat (MGP), an association of East Indians, said that around 500,000 community members visit the shrine of Our Lady of Good Health Velankanni during the annual festival from August 30 and September 8, the annual feast and birthday of Mother Mary.

"The East Indians, the indigenous people of Mumbai have been visiting this pilgrimage site at Velankanni for around 100 years. The Christian community considers Velankanni to be the Holy land of India and the miraculous statue of our Lady is placed at the Shrine Basilica at Velankanni," said Gleason Baretto of MGP.

The community's request has been backed by former MLA Krishna Hegde, Upneta and Shiv Sena spokesperson, who has sent a communication to Shinde to include Velankanni as a pilgrimage site list under the scheme. "Christians, including the MGP, have approached me to request the government to provide the facility," said Hegde who has also written to the Union Railway Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw for additional special trains from Mumbai to Velankanni via Goa during the annual pilgrimage. Currently, there are two special trains, one each from Bandra and Kurla LTT, for the pilgrimage to the shrine.