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.”
