First batch of 215 Haj pilgrims to leave from Srinagar tomorrow

Srinagar, Nov 21 (UNI) The first special Haj flight carrying 215 pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir will leave here for Jeddah tomorrow.

A total of 31 special flights would airlift 6665 pilgrims directly from the Srinagar airport to Jeddah till December 22. Each fight would carry as many as 215 pilgrims every day.

The Haj pilgrims will start returning home from January 5 next year and the flights would be operated from the Jeddah airport till February four.

More than two million Muslims from around the world gather in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for the annual Haj. All able-bodied Muslims are required to perform the Haj at least once in their lifetime, if they can afford it.

The pilgrims retrace the steps of the Prophet Mohammad in the biggest annual mass movement of people on the planet.

State Haj Auqaf Minister Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed along with a team of officials, including Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir Basharat Ahmed Dhar and IGP Kashmir S M Sahai, visited the Srinagar airport and the Tourist Reception Centre (TRC) here to take stock of the arrangements made for devotees.

The Minister was later informed at a high-level meeting that adequate heating arrangements have been made at the TRC where the Haj pilgrims will report at 0830 hrs and board the State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) buses for the Srinagar airport.

Adequate arrangements for the stay and departure of the Haj pilgrims have also been made and sufficient numbers of home guard volunteers kept available at the selected spots for loading and unloading the baggage.

Arrangements for smooth plying of traffic were also finalised in the meeting. It was informed that an additional departure hall has been added to the existing departure lounge for pilgrims at the Srinagar airport.

Warm water and other facilities have also been kept available for pilgrims for ablution, wearing of 'Ahram' and offering of prayers at the airport.

The meeting was told that additional flights were being arranged for which separate schedule would be issued.

Meanwhile, confusion prevailed in Kashmir over the Centre's decision to increase the Haj quota by 10,000 to take it the total figure to 1,10,000 pilgrims. It was not yet clear as to how many more pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir would be able to perform the Haj this year.

However, sources told UNI that the state has been given a major share of 4000 by the Central Haj Committee.

A large number of people today took out a protest march and later staged a sit-in in front of the Divisional Commissioner's office here, demanding inclusion of their names in the next list.

More than 12,000 people from Jammu and Kashmir had applied with the state administration for performing Haj this year.

However, only 6665 were selected as per the central quota for Jammu and Kashmir, prompting Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and others to approach the Centre for its increase.

UNI AG SI KN1515