Food problem of 570 State Haj pilgrims solved

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, August 28: The problem of food for 570 Haj pilgrims from Assam at Saudi Arabia has been solved through prompt liaising by the Joint State Haj Committee and the State Haj executive officer and secretary Sukur Ali Ahmed.

Talking to newsmen at Haji Musafirkha in the city today, Joint State Haj Committee chairman Nekibur Zaman said: “The problem arose only in building numbers 35 and 108 that are in Marlaziya and green region where cooking is not allowed for security reasons. It was on August 18 the Saudi Ministry of Haj and Umrah along with Saudi Civil Defence Department issued a notification banning cooking in the building numbers 35 and 108 that are very close to Mecca, for security reasons. We’ve little to do in the rules of another country. The problem arose as the 570 pilgrims don’t have enough cash with them to buy costly food there. However, we took up the matter with the State Government, the Central Haj Committee and Union Exterl Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to take up the matter with their counterparts in Saudi Arabia. The State executive officer and secretary Sukur Ali Ahmed also wrote a letter to the Consul General of India at Jeddah. After receiving the letter, the problem with building 108 was solved by allowing cooking there. The problem in building number 35 has also been solved as cooking with heater stoves instead of gas is allowed from today.”

Zaman said that the problem was not with the Haj pilgrims of Assam alone. “In fact the pilgrims from elsewhere in India and other countries had to face the problem,” Zaman said, and added: “We’re going to raise the issue at the next Central Haj Committee meeting to be held at Mumbai.”

Zaman said that in order to ensure hassle-free pilgrimage as many as nine Khadim-ul-Hujjaj and a representative from the State Government were sent along with the pilgrims. “We’re keeping in touch with them and taking day-to-day information from them,” he said.