Haj committee to meet Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi over pilgrims' issues

Members of the Haj Committee of India have decided to raise three prominent issues with the union minister of minority affairs after a meeting held on Saturday at the Haj House in Mumbai.

"The meet was to apprise members of the recent agreements we have signed with the Saudi Arabia government. Other details like increase in the Hajis were also discussed. They had a few issues which will be raised with the minister," said Choudhari Mehboob Ali Kaiser, chairman of the HCI.

Among the issues that the board members said that should be raised are, the sudden scrapping of Haj subsidy, the reserved quota for those who could get a special chance for going to Haj if they had been applying for several years and the staying arrangement of the Hajis.

"The members spoke about the fall out of the subsidy that was withdrawn before 2022. We had already sent our opposition but it was turned down. We will meet him and apprise him of the concerns that members raised. There is no quick fix solution but we will still raise the issue," said Kaiser.

The other two issues that the members raised were about the scrapping of the quota and the Haj travel by ship. "There was a special chance people got when they could not go for Haj. There was a list of people who had applied several times and were in the reserved category. They have scrapped that too. There are many people who came to me who were in this category. The government also charges them to fill the form each year," said Hussain Dalwai, a member of HCI.

He added, "We have also asked them to take up issue of people staying in Saudi once they reach by ship when Haj by ship starts. Earlier the Saudi government used to have a place when Haj was being done by ship. They are saying they will make the arrangements but till the time it does not happen, people will have to take care of a day's arrangement till the time formalities of the Saudi government after landing is over," said Dalwai.

Finer details

• Meet was to apprise members of recent agreements we have signed with Saudi Arabia 
• Other details like increase in the Hajis were also discussed
• Members spoke about the fall out of the subsidy that was withdrawn before 2022