Arif Baig, leader of the Indian Haj goodwill delegation, addressing a press conference at the Indian Consulate in Jeddah on Sunday. Abdul Rasheed Ansari, deputy leader of the delegation, Consul General B.S. Mubarak, Deputy Consul General and Haj Consul Md. Noor Rahman Sheikh are also seen. — SG photo

 

Hassan Cheruppa

Saudi Gazette

 

JEDDAH – Improving the services and facilities for Haj pilgrims is one of the priorities of the new Indian government headed by Narendra Modi, according to two leading officials from the subcontinent country.



Addressing a press conference at the Indian Consulate's conference hall here on Sunday, Arif Baig, leader of Indian Haj goodwill delegation, and his deputy Abdul Rasheed Ansari ruled out any plan to make drastic changes in the government’s Haj policy.



They also favored increasing the number of pilgrims performing Haj under the government’s Central Haj Committee by reducing the quota for private Haj pilgrims.



Baig, a former federal minister, said Modi is keen to see Haj pilgrims are provided with all the facilities and services to perform their pilgrimage in the best possible manner.



“More embarkation points for pilgrims had been allowed during the rule of former Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee,” he said.



Ansari, who is also national president of the ruling BJP’s Minority Morcha, said the number of pilgrims coming under Private Tour Operators (PTO) would be reduced.



“Some of the PTOs are levying exorbitant charges and this is unfair. The government is not in a position to scrap all PTOs as it has to respect the tradition being followed in this regard.”



The delegation thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and the government of Saudi Arabia for offering excellent services and facilities to pilgrims.



Baig and Ansari said they were highly impressed with the arrangements made by the Saudi government and the Indian Haj Mission to enable pilgrims to perform their rituals in ease and comfort.



Baig said: “During our 20-day stay in the holy cities, we closely observed our Haj mission’s operation and interacted with pilgrims at least two times.



“We found not a single pilgrim who said that they were not satisfied with the services provided by the mission.”



They said Ambassador Hamid Ali Rao, Consul General B.S. Mubarak, Deputy Consul General and Haj Consul Md. Noor Rahman Sheikh were traveling on motorbikes in Mina to personally oversee the Haj operation and welfare of pilgrims.



Referring to the new government’s support for the Haj operation, Mubarak said Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is in charge of Haj affairs, ensured the best services were provided for pilgrims.



She had emphasized that Haj is one of the foremost priority areas of the government, they said.



Mubarak said: “In the annual Haj conference, she outlined the major problems that pilgrims might face and directed her department to address these issues.



“The minister took the initiative for the standardization of pilgrims’ baggage and streamlining their transportation by getting directly involved in solving problems related to Air India flights.”



Md. Noor Rahman Sheikh; Mohammed Raghib Qureshi, consul education and head of chancery; and Dr. Irshad Ahmad, consul of press, information and culture also attended the press conference.