By Abdul Bari Masoud for MuslimMirror.com,
New Delhi: While launching the trilingual website relating to Hajj matters here today, Minister of State for Minority Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the ministry will form a committee of experts to look into the anomalies of airfares for the Hajj pilgrims going from different embarkation points. He also informed that a delegation under his leadership would visit Saudi Arabia in January for finalizing Hajj agreement with the Saudi authorities.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister said the preparations for Hajj 2017 have been already undertaken and efforts are being made to bring about further improvements in the Hajj management process so as to make Hajj Pilgrimage more convenient, affordable and a memorable experience for the Hajj pilgrims.
When this correspondent raised the issue of discriminatory and exorbitant airfare being charged from Hajj pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir and other states, Naqvi admitted the anomaly and said he would appoint an expert committee that will rationalize the Hajj fares in a transparent and fair manner.
It is to be recalled that the Air India previous year had charged Rs 1.54 lakh as ticket cost per pilgrim for those who had taken flight from Srinagar when the cost from other embarkation points across the country was around Rs 62,802. There is 21 Hajj embarkation points across the country and around one lakh Hajj pilgrims embark from these airports but the Air India charges airfares in a discriminatory manner that put extra financial burden on pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir and other states.
The Minister also assured that for the next Hajj, best air crafts with modern facilities will be used to ferry Indian pilgrims. In this regard, discussions have been held with officials of Civil Aviation Ministry to provide aircraft with all modern facilities for Hajj pilgrims, he added.
Naqvi said he held a meeting with Saudi Arabia Ambassador Dr. Saud Mohammed Alsati today and issues concerning next Hajj pilgrimage were discussed in detail. He informed that several important suggestions on Hajj pilgrimage have been received and are moving forward keeping in mind these suggestions. A delegation will visit Saudi Arabia in January next year and will hold discussions with Saudi authorities on housing and transport and other arrangements in Makkah and Madina for Indian pilgrims, he added.
When asked whether he will raise the issue of enhancing Hajj quota for the Indian Muslims in accordance with 2011 census, Naqvi said he would make efforts in this regard.
The website www.haj.gov.in is a one-stop facility to provide all necessary information relating to Hajj management in one place. It is in Hindi, Urdu and English languages. The website features include information on various agencies involved in Hajj management, useful contacts of the central and state Hajj authorities, location maps of State Hajj Houses, location maps of accommodation sites in Makkah and Madina etc., and useful links to the website of Hajj Committee of India and Consulate General of India, Jeddah.
Every year Government of India deputes administrative and medical officials on temporary deputation to CGI, Jeddah for 2-3 months. This website provides a link for the prospective applicants to enable them to apply online through the dedicated portal. The website also hosts information about the Private Tour Operators (PTO). This would help the prospective pilgrims to gather information about the services provided by the PTO. It also has provision for getting feedback from users and for registration of public grievances.
It may be recalled that Hajj department has been transferred from Ministry of External Affairs to Ministry of Minority Affairs with effect from October 1, 2016.
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(Dr Javed Jamil is India based thinker and writer. He can be contacted at doctorforu123@yahoo.com )