The Hindu : Front Page : Exclusive tents for Indian Haj pilgrims in Mina

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Friday, Apr 18, 2008
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Exclusive tents for Indian Haj pilgrims in Mina

E. Ahamed

DUBAI: About 1,57,000 Indian pilgrims visiting Saudi Arabia for Haj this year can look forward to streamlined accommodation and other services, Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed has said.

Pilgrims coming through the Haj Committee of India will be accommodated in tents within the traditional boundaries of Mina city, base camp for the pilgrimage. In previous years, pilgrims were put up in tents, which they complained were outside Mina.

Each pilgrim can carry a 10-litre ‘zamzam’ water (holy water) can on his return journey at no additional cost.

On Wednesday, Mr. Ahamed signed the 2008 Haj agreement with Saudi Haj Minister Fouad Al-Farsy in Jeddah. It maintains the pilgrim quota for India at 1,57,000, the same as last year. Some 1,10,000 pilgrims will come through the Haj committee and the others through private tour operators.

“We have requested the Saudi government to increase our quota by 15,000 this year so that a maximum number of applicants could be accommodated.

The Saudi authorities are actively considering our request. If we get the additional quota, it will be distributed among tour operators,” Mr. Ahamed said at a press conference.

The Haj committee pilgrims would be put up in exclusive Indian-only tents in Mina equipped with all necessary facilities. Air India and the Saudi Arabian Airlines would fly the pilgrims from 17 embarkation points in India.

Indian Ambassador M.O.H. Farook was present at the press conference.

“We have made arrangements with the South Asian Pilgrims Establishment [SAPE] to accommodate all pilgrims coming through the Haj committee within the traditional boundaries of Mina,” he said.

Consul-General Ausaf Sayeed said the Indian mission had signed a four-year agreement with SAPE. “Apart from providing accommodation to pilgrims in Makkah, Mina and Arafat, SAPE operates 15 additional services. It will also provide blankets and pillows to all the pilgrims coming through Haj Committee,” he said.

Mr. Ahamed referred to the huge construction activity going on in Makkah and said all buildings which used to be hired were demolished in recent years.

Hence not much accommodation was available in the vicinity of the Holy Mosque. — PTI

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