he first group of pilgrims from the Malabar region, who are going for Haj under the State Haj Committee, has been given a send-off in a formal ceremony organised under the Kerala Haj Welfare Forum here on Tuesday.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala flagged off the bus service arranged by the forum in the wake of shifting the Haj embarkation point from Karipur International Airport to the Nedumbassery International Airport following the partial closure of the Karipur airport for runway re-carpeting works.
This is for the first time in 30 years that the Haj camp is being shifted to Nedumbassery from Kondotty.
Till last year, individual pilgrims from the Malabar region would go to the Haj camp at Karipur accompanied by their family members, often in their own vehicles. However, shifting of the Haj camp to Nedumbassery has necessitated the pilgrims from the Malabar region to travel all the way to Ernakulam in private or public vehicles.
“It is in this background that we decided to arrange a group journey for the pilgrims from the region to Nedumbassery for a fair price,” said P.T. Imbichi Koya, general secretary of the forum.
In two buses, 85 pilgrims from Wayanad, Kozhikode, and Malappuram districts set off their journey together. The bus service has also helped the family members of the pilgrims to do away with their journey to Ernakulam along with the pilgrims, said Mr. Koya, who maintained that more than 75 per cent of the pilgrims from the State are from the Malabar region.
The forum has daily bus services from Kozhikode to Nedumbassery in the morning till September 16. The pilgrims are required to reach the camp a day in advance of their flight to Makka. Those who would like to avail themselves of the group bus service from Kozhikode can contact the organisers. Ph: 9349113947, 9447149007.
This is for the first time in 30 years that the Haj camp is being shifted to Nedumbassery from Kondotty.
