Haj from Northeast set to be the costliest in India

GUWAHATI: The cost of Haj (pilgrimage to Mecca) from Assam and the other north-eastern States will be the highest in the country from 2021.

According to the recent circular issued by the Haj Committee of India,the approximate cost of Haj from Guwahati (as the embarkation point) will be Rs 3,99,273.40. Before the Centre lifted the Haj subsidy, the pilgrimage cost was between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 2.10 lakh.

The pilgrimage costs from nine other embarkation points in the country will be lesser than Guwahati. It will be Rs 3,44,809.40 from Delhi, Rs 3,69,050.40 from Kolkata, Rs 3,29,279.40 from Mumbai, Rs 3,61,927.40 from Srinagar, Rs 3,44,133.40 from Lucknow, Rs 3,49,381.40 from Hyderabad, Rs 3,56,433.40 from Cochin, Rs 3,42,994.40 from Bengaluru and Rs 3,28,168.40 from Ahmedabad.

The circular has been issued by the Chief Executive Office of Haj Committee of India, Dr Maqsood Ahmed Khan. The Haj Committee functions under the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs.

Noted social activist Nekibur Zaman who is closely associated with the 'Joint State Haj Committee of Assam &NE States' told The Sentinel that the committee has taken up the issue with the 'Haj Committee of India'.

"There are various reasons for the costliest Haj from Assam and other NE States. One of the prime reasons is the short runway at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI)Airport at Borjhar. Because of the short runway, the international flight operators cannot land bigger aircrafts at the LGBI airport to lift the Hajis (pilgrims) to Mecca. One aircraft can lift less than 300 Hajis at one go which is economically not viable for the international flight operators. The development results in charging in higher flight charges," said Zaman. Citing an example as to how the long runway at other airports in the country is helpful for international flights, Zaman said that an aircraft from the 'Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport' in Kolkata can lift 1000 Hajis at a time.

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