By TwoCircles.net Staff Correspondent,
Kochi: The first group of pilgrims from Kerala to offer the Holy Hajj set off from the Calicut International Airport at around 4.30 pm yesterday. Elamaram Kareem, state Minister of Industries, flagged off the first flight. Kadannappalli Ramachandran, Minister of Devaswom, and PTA Raheem, Chairman of the state Hajj Committee, were also present.
Pilgrims reached the airport after their health check-up and receipt of health certificates at around 1.30 pm. The pilgrims are going to Jeddah in the Ihram dressing for Hajj. Nas Air, the Saudi Arabian airplane company in charge of transporting pilgrims from India, has arranged 32 services beginning from today to November 20. The Hajj services were arranged including airplanes that can accommodate 250 people, but now it has been changed and a flight can accommodate only 238 people.
For the convenience of pilgrims, a temporary stop has been allowed for 11 long-distance trains at the Feroke railway station, which is nearer to the Calicut Airport. This will continue all through the Hajj season. Trains will halt at the station for three minutes. The decision has come after the state Hajj Committee raised the demand.
The decision of the central government to collect an extra payment of about Rs 4000 from the Hajj pilgrims is untimely, said Paloli Muhammed Kutty, state minister in charge of Hajj Affairs. The decision of the central government to reduce the subsidy was known after the first group of pilgrims reached the Hajj Camp. The state does not intend to collect the cash from the Hajj pilgrims. The centre has allotted only small planes for Kerala. The centre has not considered the demands of the state that either big airplanes should be used or additional services be added to the Hajj service from the Calicut Airport. Allowing only small planes to Kerala where there are more than 7500 pilgrims, the Central Hajj Committee is creating more problems for the state, he added.