Selection of Haj pilgrims to be held on July 6

Kozhikode, June 30 (UNI) The draw for selection of pilgrims from among 14,000 applicants received by the Kerala Haj Committee for this year's Haj is scheduled to be held at the Committee office here on July six, official sources said today.

Even though the State's quota is only 5,577, around 10,000 applicants are likely to get the chance to perform the pilgrimage through the Haj Committee by utilising unused quota of other States.

Those who failed to get selection last year will automatically be included in this year's list. Other pilgrims will be selected by taking lots, the sources said.

The Committee could send only 11,504 pilgrims last year out of 13,002 applied for the pilgrimage.

The first Haj flight from India is expected to take off on November 23, 2006 and the return flights to begin on January 5, 2007.

There will be one lakh Haj pilgrims from India this year, making it the biggest contingent during the last two years.

Kerala's quota for the last Haj was only 4,552, but the Haj Committee was able to send more pilgrims as many States were not able to fill their quota due to several factors like natural calamities. Kerala occupies the third place among States in sending the largest number of pilgrims after Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.

A meeting of the newly-constituted Haj Committee is scheduled to be held here tomorrow to discuss, among other things, the proposal to construct a permanent Haj House near the Karipur airport. Land for the project had been made available by Muslim voluntary organisations free of cost to the Haj Committee.

UNI XR PMM KGB/VS1746