It’s official now. Haj pilgrims from Hyderabad will not be getting free accommodation in the Nizam Rubat at Makkah in Saudi Arabia this year. This follows the stand-off between the Nazir (administrator) of Hyderabad Rubat and the Awqaf Committee of H.E.H The Nizam. What it means is that pilgrims will stand to lose Rs. 38,000 each, which otherwise they would have saved by availing free accommodation. The Rubat has accommodation for 400 persons.
The Rubats or guest houses were built by the 5 Nizam, Afzal-ud-Daula, for free stay of pilgrims going for Haj and Umrah from the erstwhile State of Hyderabad. The problem arose with both the Awqaf Commitee and the Rubat caretaker at Makkah, Hasan Mohd Al Shareef, selecting pilgrims separately and insisting on their accommodation. As a result of the dispute, 408 pilgrims selected for free of charge stay in the Rubat could not avail the benefit last year.
The Awqaf Committee is said to be the sole authorised body to conduct the draw for selection of pilgrims for stay in Rubat and it is approved by both the Central and State Haj Committees. But Mr. Shareef, who stays in Saudi Arabia, is selecting pilgrims on his own through an online draw. Attempts by the Haj Committee of India (HCI) to sort out the matter have proved futile.
As such, the HCI has now resolved to make arrangements for the accommodation of all the pilgrims in Saudi Arabia as there will be no exemption of accommodation under the Reserved Accommodation Scheme. The HCI is flooded with queries from pilgrims who have received allotment letters from Mr. Shareef about their accommodation status in the Rubat. But these letters are ‘invalid’ since they are not issued by the HCI through the Awqaf Committee, it is said.
“We have no mandate or control over the contesting parties and therefore cannot resolve the dispute,” said Ataur Rahman, CEO, Haj Committee of India.
In a letter sent to the State Haj Committee, he said the Consul General of India in Jeddah has not provided any ‘tasreeh’ (permission) in favour of the Awqaf Committee for allotment of accommodation to Hajis in the Rubat.
