Haj pilgrims to have embarkation point at Vijayawada

VIJAYAWADA: AP State Haj Committee chairman Badwel Sheikh Gausal Azam and MLC Ishak Basha on Wednesday announced that AP government has decided to provide an embarkation point for Haj pilgrims at Vijayawada.

Gausal Azam said a decision to this effect had been taken keeping in view the 2023 Haj programme. He pointed out that last year 1,100 people had gone for Haj. “This time, we are expecting that up to 3,000 people will get the visas,” he stated.

The Haj committee chairman said state government will offer ₹60,000 as subsidy to each pilgrim whose annual income is up to ₹3 lakh per annum. The subsidy will be ₹30,000 for those whose annual income is above ₹3 lakh. He disclosed that they are thinking of sending pilgrims from Vijayawada directly to Makkah.

Azam said it will be possible for AP to monitor and track the pilgrims going for Haj from the Vijayawada embarkation point. However, if the pilgrims proceed for Haj from Hyderabad or Bengaluru, they will have to coordinate with the respective state governments. He suggested to pilgrims to make good use of Vijayawada embarkation point.

MLC Ishak Basha said the difficulties being faced by Haj pilgrims from AP have been resolved following the intervention of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.