By TCN Special Correspondent,
Lucknow: The application forms for Haj 2011 will be distributed from 16th March 2011. There will be single lottery system instead of existing dual. The applicants will also be updated about the announcements through SMS. These decisions were taken in the review meeting for Haj-2011 chaired by senior cabinet minister and chairman, state Haj Committee, Naseemudin Siddiqui on Thursday.
For the convenience of the pilgrims the forms will be available at various places including the offices of respective District Magistrate, District Minority Welfare Officer and State Haj Committee. The forms can also be downloaded from websites.
The dual lottery system for selecting the pilgrims too has been replaced by a single lottery. The Haj aspirants will now have to fill a single application form, which will be valid both for Qurrah (draw of lots) and Haj. They will be issued a cover head with a special number. The pilgrims will be intimated about any development through SMS and they can also seek help in getting passports mandatory for the journey. The devotees also need to provide two mobile numbers, which will be used for sending them updates by the Haj committee.
The applicants must possess a valid international passport. Applications without international passports will not be entertained for Haj 2011. They also need to submit a cancelled cheque of their account so that the refunds if any are directly credited to their account. Earlier, the committee used to send refunds through cheques which were delayed or often misplaced.