The draw of lots of Haj applications, known as qurrah , conducted on Thursday, witnessed the selection of 3,558 pilgrims, who will make the trip to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
The Telangana State Haj Committee (TSHC) received as many as 17,130 applications from all the 31 districts. Of these, as many as 10,908 applications came from Hyderabad district alone. The least number of applications came from Jayashankar Bhupalpally district. Out of the quota of 12 it is entitled to, the TSHC received only six applications. Officials attributed the low turnout to a low Muslim population percentage of about 0.48 percent.
As many as 508 pilgrims were selected under the quota for pilgrims above 70 years of age. The TSHC special officer S. A. Shukoor said, “The increase of quota to India has given the State 699 additional seats. Chartered flights will fly pilgrims to Saudi Arabia from July 11 to August 13.”
Speaking at the qurrah, advisor to the government on minorities welfare A. K. Khan, urged those making the pilgrimage by means of private tour operators (PTOs) to ensure that they do not get cheated. A list of authorised PTOs will shortly be displayed at the Haj House in Nampally.
Wait-listed applicants were instructed to stay away from middlemen.
Officials said that confirmation of wait-listed applications is done automatically and no broker can help them.
Deputy Chief Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali said that all steps were being taken to ensure that the Haj season 2018 goes smoothly. He also said that there was proposal to increase the budgetary allocation of the TSHC from ₹3 crore last year to ₹5 crore, this year.
