Meet entrusts departments for service to Haj pilgrims

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, July 16: With a total of 4,279 Haj pilgrims from the Northeast barring Manipur – 4,209 from Assam, 39 from Meghalaya, 29 from galand and 2 from Sikkim – set to leave for Mecca on August 4, Dispur today held a detailed meeting with the Joint State Haj Committee and other agencies related to the pilgrimage at the Circuit house here today.

The meeting had detailed discussions on all issues related to the pilgrimage. The Haj Committee placed a request with the Guwahati Police Commissioner to lay more importance on the security aspects of the pilgrims at their pandals, in their escort from the Haji Musafirkha to the Lokapriya Gopith Bordoloi Intertiol Airport, etc., in the aftermath of the recent incidents by the ISIS. The committee has also requested the airport director to make all facilities like that of check-in, immigration/customs checking and disbursement of foreign currency, sitting arrangement for pilgrims and medical teams accompanying them, etc.

The committee has also requested Air India to provide flight boarding passes to pilgrims at Haji Musafirkha itself well ahead of time, to let them know the exact time of departure of flights from Saudi Arabia and the arrival time at Guwahati, etc.

The committee has also requested the departments concerned to complete customs and immigration clearances at the pandals of the pilgrims. The Department of Health has been asked to make available vaccines and other medical facilities, including medical and paramedical staff.

The committee has also asked ASTC to provide buses, DCP (traffic) to make all traffic arrangement, PWD to renovate the road from B Baruah Road to Haji Musafirkha and to illumite it with streetlights.

The meeting was attended, among others, by Haj Committee Chairman Nekibur Zaman, executive officer and secretary Sukur Ali, members Nurul Hussain and Matiur Rahman, and others.   

Meanwhile, the Haj pilgrims from Manipur are also set to travel to and from Saudi Arabia through the State Haj Committee of Assam.