STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The Joint State Haj Committee refuted allegations regarding its role in the discomfort caused to Haj pilgrims from the Northeast, instead putting the blame on the central Haj Committee of India for the trouble caused.
Chairman of the Joint State Haj Committee, Nekibur Zaman, addressed a press conference on Wednesday to clear the air about the allegations doing the rounds on social media, even as he demanded a refund of the difference in airfare as the Haj pilgrims were taken to Saudi Arabia on scheduled flights instead of the usual chartered ones. Incidentally, Zaman was a Haj pilgrim this year, and he himself faced the troubles.
It should be mentioned here that the Joint State Haj Committee is responsible for coordinating and managing Haj operations in the five states of North East India, including Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, etc.
However, the flights to Saudi Arabia are controlled by the central Haj Committee of India, which calls for tenders from flight operators for allocating the two-way chartered flights.
Zaman explained that a record number of pilgrims participated in the Haj from across the world this time. This was due to the limits of age among the pilgrims being removed, and Muslims of all ages went for the Haj pilgrimage. Due to the large number of pilgrims, this year a total of around 70 lakh pilgrims were present instead of the usual 30-32 lakh. There was a paucity of accommodation near the pilgrimage spots of Mecca and Medina. A total of 6,085 pilgrims from the Northeast went on the pilgrimage this year, and the accommodation was located at a distance, he said.
He told the media, “Firstly, there was a problem with the flight, which was arranged by the central Haj Committee of India. Through the tender process, the airline that bagged the contract for flights from here was Go First. However, they filed for bankruptcy, and it was cancelled. Then, Indigo Airlines got the contract, but they provided scheduled passenger flights from Delhi and Mumbai instead of chartered flights from Guwahati, as was done earlier. This was the root cause of our problems.”
Zaman added that he had written and called up the central committee for a refund of the airfare difference between a chartered and scheduled one, but to no avail, along with the other NE pilgrims. There was also a controversy regarding the presence of the eight Khadims allocated for duty with the NE pilgrims. Zaman clarified that the Khadims are only selected by the Joint Haj Committee, and they were given their duties by the central committee, although both committees shared their expenses.
Zaman also said that he had requested a breakup of the Haj amount, which was Rs 3.92 lakh for NE pilgrims, but was yet to get it. The chairman of the Joint Haj Committee demanded that a person from NE be included in the central committee as a member. Also, a person from Assam should be in the team arranging the accommodation, he said, to prevent a recurrence of the issues.
Zaman said vested circles were spreading falsehoods and allegations on social media. He threatened legal action against those responsible.
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