JEDDAH, 9 February 2003 — An Indian federal minister has categorically denied any move to discontinue Haj subsidy for pilgrims.
“The Indian government provides two billion rupees for pilgrims going through the Central Haj Committee (CHC) every year and this will continue,” Civil Aviation Minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said here on Friday night in reference to a reported controversy in India on the subsidy issue.
“At best the government may rationalize the subsidy restricting it to the poor and those who want to perform Haj for the first time. The financial status of the prospective pilgrim may also be taken into consideration for granting subsidy,” he told a press conference at Jeddah Trident hotel.
“Some such points were discussed at the government level, but no decision was taken.”
Hussain, who is the first Cabinet minister ever to head a Haj goodwill delegation, said the country’s arrangements for the annual pilgrimage were elaborate and all of 70,000 CHC pilgrims who had already arrived had no complaints.
Some 36,000 other Indian pilgrims coming through private tour operators and individually from third countries have also arrived.
The minister, who was accompanied by Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad and Consul General Syed Akbaruddin, regretted that the CHC had not utilized its full quota of 72,000 pilgrims.
All CHC pilgrims are staying in Makkah only in buildings with bed, cooking gas, refrigerator and elevator facilities. A total of 326 buildings have been rented to house the pilgrims.
In Madinah, deals have been signed with nine contractors to provide accommodation for all pilgrims in eight-day cycles. The pilgrims will stay within a 75-meter periphery of the Prophet’s Mosque.
About 30,000 Indian pilgrims have visited Maidnah prior to Haj, while the rest will perform the ziarat after the pilgrimage.
A total of 244 flights from 12 departure points brought the pilgrims with Air-India accounting for 36,500 and Saudi Arabian Airlines 33,500.
