Sonowal to give Haj pilgrims send-off on August 3

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, July 30: Assam Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal is going to give as many as 4,611 Haj pilgrims of the Northeast, including 4,191 of Assam, a warm send-off on August 3 as the pilgrims are to leave for their destition on August 4. Of the other States of the region, Meghalaya has 39, galand 29, Sikkim 2 and Manipur 252 pilgrims bound for Mecca.

In Assam, the districts that have comparatively more Haj Pilgrims this year are 675 from Cachar, 386 from Dhubri, 386 from Hailakandi, 728 from Karimganj, 485 from gaon, 237 from Kamrup (M), 188 from Barpeta, 156 from Darrang, 191 from Goalpara, 131 from Morigaon, 103 from Sivazagar, 171 from Kamrup rural etc.

Flights from Lokapriya Gopith Bordoloi Intertiol (LGBI) Airport will keep leaving Guwahati for Modi from August 4 to 15, 2016. All the 4,611 Haj pilgrims will return in inward flights from Jeddah to Guwahati from September 19 to October 4, 2016.

Talking to newsmen at Haji Musafir Kha in the city today, North East Haj Pilgrims Reception Committee working president Nekibur Zaman, who is also the chairman of the Joint State Haj Committee, said: “Dispur has made special bandobast for Haj pilgrims this year. Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal, who is the chief patron of the North East Haj Pilgrims Reception Committee, himself keeps in touch with the committee and the heads of the departments concerned so as to make the entire affair hassle-free.  For the first time, this year Dispur has appointed a special officer to look after affairs of Haj pilgrimage. Apart from the Haj Committee holding talks with all departments concerned, the Chief Minister himself held a meeting with the departments last night.  On August 3, the Chief Minister will hold a ‘felicitation-cum-farewell function’ so as to give the Mecca-bound pilgrims a warm send-off. At the function, State Agriculture Minister Atul Bora will formally release a souvenir – Labbaika.  State Fince Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Transport Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary will be special guests, while State BJP leader Mominul Aowal and senior jourlist Ajit Kumar Bhuyan will be the guests of honour on the occasion.  Alhaj Hazarat Maula Yah Ya Saheb will pray for the pilgrims.”

Zaman said that a section of people has been out to bring bad me to the Haj Committee with a negative campaign this year. “This year, repeater Haj pilgrims (who went to Mecca earlier) are not entitled to get Haj subsidy as the subsidy for them has been lifted by the Centre. They, however, can go in their own expenses. Attendants of old pilgrims will also not get subsidies. There were as many as 200 applications from repeater Haj pilgrims. The Central Haj Committee cancelled all the applications. We found as many as 36 applications of repeaters valid. We’ve sent them to the Union Ministry of Exterl Affairs for consideration,” he said.

Zaman said: “It’s yet to be decided if any Haj guides will be sent along with the pilgrims or not. The system of sending Haj guides with pilgrims was abolished around seven years back following allegations against them that they had been roaming without helping pilgrims. However, this year the mes of as many as ten Haj guides came up. We’re in dark as to how the Haj guides have been med.”

According to Zaman, the prayer mat (Jamaz), the prayer rope (Tasbih) and a bag that are must for pilgrims were of low standard. “However, the special officer replaced them with standard ones. This apart, the Chief Minister himself is going to present them special gift packages. We want an inquiry into as to how the me of former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and former Minority Development Minister Sukur Ali’s mes came out in the Haj Guide book this year,” he said.

Senior advocate Hafis Rashid Ahmed Choudhury and reception committee secretaries Mahiruddin Ahmed and Hifzul Haque, treasurer Matiur Rahman and Mehdi Alam Bora were also present at the press briefing.