INDIAN HAJ ASPIRANTS CAN WALK INTO PASSPORT SEVA KENDRA SERVICE, SUBMIT APPLICATIONS

With the Haj Committee insisting on holding valid international passport before applying for Haj pilgrimage this year, the regional passport office (RPO), Chennai, has facilitated Haj aspirants

by allowing them to walk in at any of the passport seva kendras (PSKs).

“The passport office has instructed people to generate a registration number online. Later, they can walk into a PSK and submit the applications,” said A. Aboobucker, vice chairman, Haj Committee of India.

While the RPO had provided eight months valid passports for the selected Haj pilgrims last year, the Haj committee now wants applicants to hold a valid passport even before applying.

The schedule for 2012 Haj pilgrimage has been finalised and according to Mr Aboobucker, the committee will start receiving applications in March and after drawing of lots, the final list of pilgrims will be released by April end. The first special flight carrying Haj pilgrims is expected to leave India on September 19.

“We are grateful to chief minister J. Jayalalithaa for increasing the fund to `20 lakh from `10 lakh for the state Haj Committee to meet the expenses.

Similarly, we request her to allocate a piece of land to build a Haj House in Chennai,” said Mr Aboobucker.

Noting that all major cities in the country have government-owned Haj Houses, he said the one present in Chennai and used by Haj pilgrims is an NGO-owned building.

“She can even give us land belonging to the Wakf Board. We will construct the building with our own funds,” he said.

He also noted that 5,000 people visited Haj from Tamil Nadu in 2011 after the chief minister intervened and helped increase the state quota by 11 per cent.

Al-Haj.A.ABOOBUCKER.MBA,
V. CHAIRMAN HAJ COMMITTEE OF INDIA.
CHAIRMAN TAMIL NADU STATE HAJJ COMMITTEE.  
CHAIRMAN PRESIDENT GROUP & HOTEL PRESIDENT.CHENNAI-600004. INDIA.
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