JEDDAH, 5 March 2005 — The Indian Haj operation came to an end with a formal thanksgiving ceremony organized in the consulate premises here Wednesday. A cultural show was also organized to mark the occasion, which was followed by dinner.
Consul General Ausaf Sayeed lauded the role of consulate officials, the deputationists, who come from India every year and the locally hired workers in making this year’s Haj successful.
The total strength of deputationists was 380 this year. They included 105 doctors including 72 women, 112 paramedics including 30 women, 41 assistant Haj officers and 122 Haj assistants. Besides, there were 625 locally recruited staff — 400 in Makkah and 115 in Madinah. They all speak different Indian languages.
Sayeed appreciated the efforts of all the consulate officials in general. However, he singled out Haj Consul Majid Padar and Consul Information and Administration Hifzur Rahman for their exemplary efforts and dedication.
Padar was the overall in-charge of Haj arrangements, while Hifzur Rahman was stationed in Madinah to supervise Haj operations and was also coordinating with other Haj-related agencies.
The consul general also appreciated Air-India officials. He thanked the airline’s Western Region Manager Ashok Kumar and its Sales Manager Saadat Ali Khan for their relentless pursuit to make Haj flights smooth and trouble-free for pilgrims. Air-India, in association with Indian Airlines, operated 135 flights.
Over 127,000 Indian pilgrims performed Haj this year. More than 82,000 had come through the Central Haj Committee and were managed by the Indian Haj Mission. The rest, about 45,000 pilgrims, used private tour operators or relied on the help of other Indians, either resident in the Kingdom or elsewhere.
The first point in which the Haj preparation earned the Indian team kudos was that, unlike last year, the Indian mission rented buildings in Makkah that were near the Holy Haram. Most of the buildings taken were at walking distance.
