The Bathinda-Bikaner train is referred to as the “cancer train” as hundreds of cancer patients from Punjab travel to Rajasthan on it to receive treatment.
Every night at 9:30 PM, the train travels from Punjab’s Bathinda station to Rajasthan’s Bikaner.
The train travels approximately 325 kilometers before arriving in Bikaner at six in the morning.
One of the train’s most notable features is that sixty percent of its passengers are cancer sufferers of various ages, hailing from all around Punjab.
This 12-coach train got its name due to a sharp rise in cancer cases in Punjab, which many attribute to the usage of pesticides, increasing levels of pollution, and the lack of action taken by the government.
Over the years, the Bathinda-Bikaner train has earned itself a grim tag as “Punjab’s cancer train” as it ferries hundreds of thousands of cancer patients from this northern Indian state for treatment for this dreaded affliction.
The reason for this interstate migration is the cost of cancer treatment.
Cancer patients can get free tickets on the train, and those who accompany them can get a 75% discount.
Most of the patients aboard the train are from Punjab’s Malwa district. A third of the travelers are going to the Acharya Tulsi Regional Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Bikaner.
Patients can receive financial support up to Rs 1,500,000 ($US1,787) under the Mukh Mantri Punjab Cancer Raahat Kosh Scheme, which is covered by the majority of the hospitals in the city of Bikaner.
In Punjab, however, patients have a significantly harder time accessing the program.
The Malwa region of Punjab is also known as the cancer belt of India. Some factors that contribute to the high cancer rate in the region include: Overuse of pesticides in agriculture, Concentration of uranium in water, and Use of tobacco and alcohol.
Date : 21 to 25 Oct 2024 (5 Days)
Time : 07:00 PM – 10:00 PM
To get regular Food Industry updates, feel free to join our WhatsApp group: Joining link