Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Thursday wrote to Union Minister of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, requesting him to take action to re-designate Chennai as an embarkation point for the convenience of Haj pilgrims.
The Haj Committee of India had informed that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the embarkation points have been reduced from 21 to 10 and that Kochi has been designated as embarkation point Tamil Nadu pilgrims. “The pilgrims from Tamil Nadu are now made to travel over 700 km to Kochi and Kerala for the pilgrimage face hardships and incur additional costs,” Mr. Stalin said in his letter. He said the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has relaxed all COVID-19-related restrictions for international pilgrims and added, “Therefore, the reduction in the number of embarkation points can be reconsidered.”
Several representations were also received from members of the Islamic community in this regard, he said. Every year, more than 4,000 Haj pilgrims from Tamil Nadu proceed on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia from the Chennai embarkation point.
Direct Haj flights were operated from Chennai to Jeddah and back since 1987 till 2020, benefiting pilgrims from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands. During Haj 2019, over 4,500 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andaman & Nicobar Islands had proceeded on Haj pilgrimage from the Chennai embarkation point.
