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| Edited By: |Source: DNA |Updated: Oct 06, 2018, 07:05 AM IST
The Government of India seems determined to revive the Mumbai-Jeddah shipping service which was operational till 1995. Despite the first call for expressions of interest not succeeding, the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs now intends to call for fresh bids.
A sea link between to Jeddah – the gateway for pilgrimages to the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina -- would be welcome for a number of reasons, and not the least as another means of affordable passage for the Haj pilgrims.
Currently, about 1.4 lakh Muslims from India go to Mecca every year and most of them by Air India, which enjoys a monopoly in transporting Haj pilgrims from India. However, over the years, Air India has not given them a good deal.
The so-called subsidy for Haj pilgrims is a corpus that benefits everyone involved – Air India, ministers and officials – and projects them as having appeased the Muslim pilgrims. Whereas, in truth, the pilgrims are hardly saved any costs because of the subsidy.
All that they get is to bear the brunt of criticism for being subsidised by the government. In fact, the subsidy has become another source of corruption especially because transporting Haj pilgrims is a lucrative proposition and a number of airlines, especially from the Gulf, are interested in doing the job which is now done by Air India.
Thus, it would serve the cause of the pilgrims to have a competitor for Air India by way of a shipping service. The objections being raised are not sustainable. Those who stress on air fares being less than what a sea journey may cost forget that, like the airlines did, there are many ways to cut the fare to meet passenger needs.
Piracy in the Arabian Sea is no deterrent as India has a blue-water navy. Besides, Haj, one of the five tenets of Islam prescribed for the devout Muslim, is mandatory for the rich, not the poor.
