By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Kozhikode: The Kerala State Haj Committee has conveyed its dissent to Haj Committee of India over its decision to levy Rs. 5200 as additional charge from Haj pilgrims for luggage, terming it impractical. It would only case cause inconveniences to the pilgrims, state Haj Committee noted.
A letter by the State Haj Committee chairman Kottumala Bappu Musliyar to the Union Minister for External Affairs Sushama Swaraj and concerned officials of the Haj Committee of India sought exemption of the state from the order.
“The new order has been issued in the wake of the demands to unify the baggages of the pilgrims. Cases, where pilgrims lose their baggages, are frequently reported from other states during every Haj season,” Kottumala told TwoCircles.net.
Explaining that state was following an effective mechanism Kottumala said that the Haj Committee were distributing them stickers in same colour stuck with the name and essential details of the pilgrims to avert such undesirable incidents. “This mechanism ensures them befitting consideration and helps the volunteers and officials to serve them better,” he said.
Adding that the decision will only impose financial burden on the pilgrims, he said that most of the pilgrims go in groups, which consist of five members and thus some of the pilgrims need no baggage as they carry their commodities in the bags of their companions.
Meanwhile, the Haj Committee has decided to set up a full-fledged Haj camp in Kochi to meet the requirements of the pilgrims.
“An ideal spot to set up the temporary Haj camp has been identified and a special meeting of the committee will be convened in Kochi on April 28. The committee will contemplate on the measures to give the pilgrims better facilities. More volunteers will be recruited if it is needed,” he told TCN.
The committee had decided to shift the camp to Kochi as the embarkation point was shifted from Karipur International Airport to Cochin International Airport owing to the temporary closure of the Karipur International Airport for re-carpeting works.
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