Escalating expense for Haj pilgrimage seems to be a cause of worry among many aspiring pilgrims, including those who got selected under the government sector this year.
The pilgrims will have to cough up an extra Rs.30,000 to go for Haj even in the government sector this year. “With the flight fare alone witnessing a jump from Rs.24,000 to Rs.42,000 this year, a pilgrim will have to dish out at least Rs.2.1 lakh against the last year’s Rs.1.8 lakh,” says district secretary of the Kerala Haj Welfare Forum, P.T. Imbichi Koya.
Unlike previous years, the Haj Committee is insisting on the pilgrims carrying only the travel bags issued by the committee this time. “Earlier, pilgrims could do with bags in their possession, but now they are forced to buy the bags from the committee for Rs.5,100,” says Mr. Koya.
Besides this, a number of things, including the increasing exchange rate of Saudi riyal with the Indian rupee, and the shifting of the embarkation point to Nedumbassery from the Calicut International Airport could have also have contributed to the escalation of the Haj expenses, observers say.
“The increasing expense is definitely a worry for pilgrims like me, but we rarely get a chance for Haj in the government sector,” says Mariyam Puliyullakandy, a Haj applicant from Chathamangalam here. Private tour operators charge a heftier fare. “It will be anything over Rs.3.5 lakh per pilgrim,” she says.
As per a Central Haj Committee circular published on its website on June 24, as many as 3,299 people from different States have so far cancelled their trip to Makkah after getting selected under the government sector. This includes 84 cancellations from Kerala.
Cancellations could be due to various reasons including death of the applicant or other unexpected inconveniences. “Economic reasons could also have forced a few to reconsider their decision,” says Mr. Koya.
State Haj Committee sources, however, refuse to attribute the cancellations to the increase in expenses.
Pilgrims have to cough up Rs.30,000 extra this year even in government sector