More than 6,900 pilgrims departed from Hyderabad to undertake the Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. According to the Telangana State Haj Committee, as of May 18, as many as 6,942 pilgrims boarded flights and reached their destination.
With the Union government allowing pilgrims from other States to choose their embarkation point, as of May 17, as many as 64 pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh, 923 from Karnataka, 582 from Maharashtra, 89 from Chhattisgarh, one from Goa, two from Gujarat and six from Odisha boarded fights from the Hyderabad embarkation point.
To facilitate a smooth flow of pilgrims, a Haj camp has been established at the Haj House in Nampally. The camp facilitates the movement of pilgrims who arrive from their respective residences and are put up here. Assistance to pilgrims includes being made to board buses and then taken to the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport from where they make their way to Medina in Saudi Arabia. Officials across departments, including those dealing with police, transport, power and civic infrastructure, among others, have been coordinating efforts for the past few weeks.
“We are working round the clock to ensure that pilgrims don’t face any issues. We have conducted training sessions for them. Pilgrims can, and have been approaching in case they have any issues. The situation at the camp and the airport is being regularly monitored,” an official said.
As of May 17, the number of male Haj pilgrims who left for Saudi Arabia was 3,453, while another 3,283 were female pilgrims.
The series of flights began on May 8 with one to three fights scheduled every day. The State selected khadim ul hujjaj (helpers of those who make the Haj pilgrimage) to assist with the needs of pilgrims. Haj is considered as one of the five pillars of Islam and is obligatory on those who can afford to do so.
