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.
V. CHAIRMAN HAJ COMMITTEE OF INDIA.
CHAIRMAN TAMIL NADU STATE HAJJ COMMITTEE.
CHAIRMAN PRESIDENT GROUP & HOTEL PRESIDENT.CHENNAI-600004. INDIA.
+9198410-32211(Mobile) +9144-28472211(Office) +9144-
