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Centre blamed for plight of Haj pilgrims

Special Correspondent

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati lashed out at the United Progressive Alliance government on Thursday for its “mismanagement” of the Central Haj Committee, which resulted in 295 pilgrims not boarding the inaugural flight to Madina in Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage.

The first Haj flight was scheduled to take off at 1 p.m. and the second at 8 p.m. on Thursday. Each flight was to carry 295 pilgrims. But 90 pilgrims booked for the first flight and 200 for the second had not received their visas and passports till the date of departure. Consequently, the 1 p.m. flight was cancelled, but the Central Haj Committee did not inform the U.P. Haj Committee of this.

The Chairman of the U.P. Haj Committee and PWD Minister, Naseemuddin Siddiqui, at a separate press conference said the passport and visa issue was brought to the notice of the Central Haj Committee on October 28.

The Chief Minister told reporters that the State government was doing its best to provide all facilities to the pilgrims.

She held the Centre responsible for the plight of those who missed the inaugural Haj flight from Lucknow’s Amausi airport. It indicated that the Centre was not taking the issue of the U.P. Haj pilgrims seriously.The Chief Minister also attacked the Congress government in Maharashtra for its failure to control the organised violence against people from north Indian States. The silence of the Centre and the Maharashtra government was perplexing. Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar were merely providing lip sympathy to the victims, she said.

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