Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 12: In order to facilitate Haj pilgrims from Jammu & Kashmir upon their arrival in Saudi Arabia, Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, today issued directions for deputation of Secretary Revenue to Medina Munawarah, to personally oversee the arrangements made by the State Haj Committee.
Apart from day-to-day coordination, the Revenue Secretary, who is also the Administrative Secretary for Haj & Auqaf, will liaise with Haj Committee of India and Saudi Government to ensure hassle-free customs and immigration clearance of the Hajis and fool-proof arrangements made for proper boarding and lodging in the holy cities of Makkah Sharief and Medina Munawarah.
Mufti Sayeed gave this direction while chairing a high-level meeting to finalize arrangements for Haj-2015, here today.
Minister for Horticulture & Hajj & Auqaf, A. R. Veeri, Chief Secretary, Iqbal Khandey, DGP, K. Rajendra, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, B. B. Vyas, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Asgar Samoon and Secretary Revenue, Mohammad Afzal Bhat attended the meeting.
Laying stress on making appropriate arrangements at Medina Munawarah, the Chief Minister, who is also the Chairperson of State Haj Committee, said it will be the responsibility of the Revenue Secretary to ensure that Haj pilgrims do not face any problem after they touchdown at the airport. He said the arrangements made for pilgrims in the Holy Land are as important as the arrangements made here. “Majority of the pilgrims are performing Haj-e-Baitullah for the first time. Their proper handholding till they complete the holy pilgrimage is the responsibility of the Government,” he observed.
Asking the administration to take care of Jammu-based pilgrims, who are scheduled to arrive in Srinagar a day ahead of their flights, Mufti Sayeed tasked the respective Deputy Commissioners and IGP Traffic for their hassle-free transportation to Haj House at Bemina. He was informed that the Haj Committee has a Contingency Plan in place for those pilgrims who are not able to reach Srinagar on scheduled date.
The first Haj flight from Srinagar to Medina Munawarah is scheduled to take off from Srinagar International Airport at 9.00 am on August 17. As many as 6684 Haj pilgrims will board direct Srinagar-Medina Air India flights with the last scheduled to fly on August 31. This time, the pilgrims will travel from Medina to Makkah Sharief in bullet trains, which will only be a 90-minute journey.
While briefing the Chief Minister about the arrangements made by State Haj Committee, Minister for Haj & Auqaf said elaborate arrangements have been made for security, transportation, boarding and lodging of pilgrims.
It was given out in the meeting that the Government has requested the Haj Committee of India to board Hajis in a cluster of hotels at one place from next year, enabling the administration to take collective care.
Also present in the meeting were Secretary to Chief Minister, M. H. Malik, IGP, Kashmir Zone, SJM Gillani, IGP, Traffic, J. P. Singh, Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Farooq Ahmad Lone, Deputy Commissioner, Budgam, Mir Altaf, Executive Officer, State Haj Committee, Fayaz Ahmad Lone, Chief Engineer PHE, Director Health, Commissioner, SMC, Station Director, Srinagar International Airport and SSPs of Srinagar, Security, Traffic and AHJ, besides several other senior officers.
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