By Rehan Ansari, TwoCircles.net,
Mohammed Ayyub Attar Azimi, 74 filed nearly one thousand Right to Information (RTI) petitions mostly related to Haj issues. He is one of the people who have filed an intervention petition in the Supreme Court. Chief Trustee of Khuddamul Hujj- O – Umrah Foundation group, Attar Azimi has welcomed the Supreme Court decision to phase out Haj subsidy. He is a retired employee of the Railways and has spent half of his pension to bring about transparency in the Haj process.
A regular columnist in Urdu dailies of Mumbai, Azimi talked to Rehan Ansari of TwoCircles.net on different issues related to Haj.
You welcomed the decision of Supreme Court on Haj subsidy, whereas Muslims are divided
Azimi: I believe that not a single haji receives Haj subsidy therefore I welcome the Supreme Court decision but don’t agree with the time frame of ten years. Subsidy should be taken back immediately. Global tender for ferrying Hajis is the best solution because bidding of global carriers will bring down the airfares from Rs 70,000 to Rs 20,000 and subsidy will never be required. In normal days, airfare for Mecca is Rs 18000 to Rs 24000 but in Haj days it inflates to the level of Rs 70000.
Attar Azimi
But it is said that the Saudi Government, in a bilateral agreement, put a condition that only the originating country or the carriers of Saudi Arabia can ferry the Hajis. Moreover, SC observed that, “due to stringent regulations imposed by the Saudi Arabian Authorities during the Hajj Period the higher fares are to be paid. The norm is that the Airline should carry Hajis and return with zero load. They are not allowed to ferry passengers on its way back, therefore they charged double the airfare.
Azimi: The first it is a lame excuses, no one can prove this because the Ministry of Civil Aviation had adopted the same tactics through Air India for ferrying Haj pilgrims of India.It seems that the same tactics MCA or Minister of Haj has tutored to Saudi Arabia Airlines. I had demanded the copy of bilateral agreement between India and Saudi Arabia through an RTI application but the ministry had denied even after the CIC order. The ministry went to the court saying that it’s a confidential agreement and release of it will dent the relationship with the Saudi and other Muslim countries. I urge the Supreme Court to go through the bilateral agreement and make it public. As far as the norm of Saudi government over one way load is concerned the SC must be told that the Saudi Government provides fuel-ATF at fairly lower price to the flights carrying pilgrims.
This case is in between Haj Committee of India and Private Tour Operator-PTOs, how come SC order about the Subsidy?
Azimi: It’s simply unawareness and misreading. It’s an interim order on the whole Haj policy and the next day of hearing is scheduled on 23rd July, 2012. Initially when some PTOs had lost the case in High Court for the Haj Policy of 2011, they filed a petition in Supreme Court, the Hon’ble Judge Shri Aftab Alam had converted it into PIL. But wanted to look into the whole Haj Policy. In its order of 17thFebruary, 2011, “SC intended to examine the Hajj Policy of the GOI in all its aspects and not limited to the issue of PTOs. Therefore Government filed an affidavit enclosing among other documents, its Haj Policy for the year 2012. After the Government’s affidavit, a number of Intervention petitions-IPs were filed from individuals and NGOs. “By this interim order, we propose to deal with some of the issues arising from the 2012 Haj Policy on a Priority basis leaving others to be dealt with in due course,” said the SC.
The SC also discussed about the quotas of the governments and others and they are asked to file the affidavit.
Azimi: Yes. SC wanted to know more about the quotas specially for Khadimul Hujjaj selected by the state Haj Committees and the central government quota. I urged the SC to also inquire about the quota allotted to the Haj Committee of India.
When I filed an RTI about the quota of Haj Committee I got a conflicting reply. Haj committee said they don’t have any quota whereas MoEA accepted that Haj committee is given a quota of 500 hajis. Then I filed an RTI about the Government reserved quota, I was given information that the govt. reserved quota on the recommendation of President of India, Prime Minister of India, Vice- President of India, Governors, Chief Ministers & even Ex Chief Ministers, MP’s & MLA’s . I believe that these quotas are used by the bureaucrats and they sell it to the big operators, because none of the recommendation I got through RTI was signed by any of the dignitaries. My question is how an Aam Admi or poor Muslims can reach to these elites of the societies and why these quotas are given to them.
You filed an RTI about the Internal Audit reports of Haj Committee of India.
Azimi: Yes, I got a shocking reply that Hajis money was wasted due to negligence of few officers. About Rs 4.5 crore was lost due to late remittance of cash for Accommodation to the Consulate General of Jeddah. Drafts for Hajis at Delhi’s Embarkation point got missing, responsibilities are not fixed as of yet. Drafts worth Rs 1.5 Crore of were found in the cupboard of an official for many years.
In the year 2010, 920 hajjis were not allowed to go inspite of paying the amount for Haj and arrived in Mumbai Haj Committee to obtain documents to proceed to Haj. Their seats were given to others and they were told that their selection was wrongly shown on Internet of a long pending inquiry concluded with 20 or 3 postponement and finally it was proved nothing but an eye wash.The Haj Committee constituted an inquiry committee consisting of 3 Haj officials amongst them one was the same person who had kept the drafts valued 1.5 crores in his cupboard and was let go with nominal penalty. There are irregularities in awarding contracts for bracelets and other accessories. Contracts were awarded without competitive bidding to one company showing different name but address and telephone numbers are same. Moreover, it reflects that Rs.4 lacs electric bill used by Haj Committee of India residential quarters paid form the Hajis fund.
I am also fighting a case in the Mumbai High Court about the excess funds generated from the Hajis and it was not refunded to them. The amount is nearly Rs 16 crore and it is mentioned in the Internal Audit Report.
The biggest issue is the Haj Committee building in Mumbai is built by Muslims but was taken over by the HCOI.
What are the other things you found through RTIs?
Azimi: Money is wasted without a second thought. For example, to book the residential buildings for Hajis in Mecca and Medina, politicians and bureaucrats all enjoyed the trips. From the people of Central Haj Committee to the state Haj Committees. The bureaucrats of Delhi to the officers of other states all go to check the same things. It’s reported in the newspapers that the building owners of Mecca and Medina complained to the UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, about the commission asked by the Consulate General of India –CGI- in Jeddah.
How will you explain the Haj process in India?
Azimi: The process of Hajj is very complex in India. Ministry of External Affairs is having administrative control over MCA, CGI Jeddha (India),Central Haj Committee of India. All get their share. Haj Committee through Application forms, local contracts, Registration fees etc. Civil Aviation through inflated rtes of air fares through MOU, CGI gets his cuts for Accommodations of Hajis and Ministry of External Affairs did a contract with South Asian Mossassa for SAR900/- per Haji for providing additional facilities to the Hajis in Mina, Arafat, Muzdalifa etc, whereas the Haj Committee guidelines clearly states that no extra facility will be provided in above mentioned places.
What is the way out?
Azimi: I think as a Policy matter Public participation should be increased, Central Haj Committee should be decentralized; Transparency must be brought in the whole process. All the Quotas should be scrapped. I also suggested involving trusts and NGOs working for Hajis in the process of lottery because it’s doubtful