An arduous detour for Haj pilgrims

They had to come to the capital from Kochi to take the flight to Jeddah

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 16/08/2018:: Haj pilgrims accommodated at Vallakkadavu Yatheemkhana in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday...........Photo:S_Gopakumar.

The unprecedented floods in the State have affected Haj pilgrims with many being forced to undertake long, arduous journeys, prior to their flights to Saudi Arabia.

With the Kochi International Airport being closed owing to flooding, over 1,200 pilgrims, many coming from the northern districts of Kerala, were left with no option but to travel to the State capital to embark from the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. Their journeys from Kochi to Thiruvananthapuram were far from smooth with traffic coming to a standstill on numerous instances owing to acute water-logging.

As many as 1,213, who were scheduled to take the last three flights to Jeddah, were forced to travel by road to Thiruvananthapuram amidst the unfavourable conditions. These included several aged persons, who have been traveling from far-off places including Kasaragod for three days on the trot.

Abdul Nasser of Manjeri was concerned for the well-being of his 74-year old mother, who has been accompanying him. “Suffering from various ailments including diabetes, she has been having a slight discomfort. We had reached Kochi on Tuesday and was supposed to board a flight at 4.55 p.m. on Wednesday. But, these setbacks have not disheartened us. We have been wanting to go on this pilgrimage for long,” he said.

Another pilgrim, Abdul Latheef of Pallikkal, Malappuram, rued the painstaking journey he and his wife had to take. He wished he could have gone on the pilgrimage from the Calicut International Airport, less than 25 km away from his home.

The pilgrims had been brought to Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday in 18 buses with seven lorries, carrying their luggage, in tow. They were subsequently accommodated at the Thiruvananthapuram Yatheemkhana and Vallakkadavu Juma Masjid premises. The arrangements were overseen by former Kerala State Haj Committee chairman Thodiyoor Muhammed Kunju Moulavi, Vallakkadavu Muslim Jamaath president A. Saifudeen Haji and Hajj Committee special officer U. Abdul Kareem.

According to Mr. Haji, this is the first time pilgrims for Haj were embarking from Thiruvananthapuram. He said that any further delay would have jeopardised the pilgrimage for many with the Haj terminal in Jeddah set to close on Friday midnight.