A total of 750 persons from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, and Hassan districts will undertake Haj pilgrimage from Mangaluru International Airport this year. They will leave in three batches from July 17.
Talking to reporters here on Saturday, Mangaluru Haj Management Committee president Yenepoya Mohammed Kunhi said 2 lakh people were undertaking Haj pilgrimage from 21 airports across the country. Of the 2 lakh, the pilgrimage of 1.4 lakh persons was sponsored by the government, while the remaining 60,000 were going at their own expense. As many as 8,000 pilgrims were from Karnataka. Nearly 500 aircraft will be used to take the pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, he said.
Mr. Kunhi said 6,000 people have undertaken Haj pilgrimage from Mangaluru Airport since October 25, 2009.
The committee’s secretary Mumtaz Ali Krishnapura said the Haj camp will be opened at Ansar Public School where all arrangements such as passport, tickets, luggage check-in, immigration clearance formalities, and food will be made available. The pilgrims will leave in three batches on July 17, 18, and 19. They will return to the city in five batches between August 31 and September 2. Haj and Wakf Minister B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan will inaugurate the Haj camp on July 17, while district in-charge Minister U.T. Khader will give away passports to the pilgrims. State Haj Committee president R. Roshan Baig will flag off the vehicle carrying the first set of pilgrims.
