Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Minorities Sk. Amzath Basha said that all arrangements for the Haj pilgrimage from Andhra Pradesh are being done by the State. He said for the first time pilgrims will embark on the pilgrimage from the State.
Mr. Basha took part in the AP Haj Committee coordination meeting led by Committee chairman B.S. Ghouse at the APIIC building, Mangalagiri, on Tuesday.
Mr. Amzath said that Haj pilgrims would be embarking on the pilgrimage from the Vijayawada International Airport, which had been declared as an embarkation point.
He said 1,813 pilgrims would leave for Haj between June 7 and July 19 and arrangements were being made such that 155 pilgrims could be handled per day. He said the State government had sanctioned a financial aid of ₹14.51 crore at ₹80,000 per pilgrim.
He said pilgrims would be stationed at a madrasa near Nambur village of Guntur district before leaving for the airport in Gannavaram. The luggage of the pilgrims would be scanned at the madrasa and sent to the airport directly, he said. To ferry pilgrims, four APSRTC air-conditioned buses would be pressed into service and a 24x7 medical camp would be set up at the madrasa, he added.
He said the Centre was yet to respond to the plea of embarking on the pilgrimage at the nearest airport other than the Vijayawada airport.
Krishna District Collector P. Raja Babu, Haj Committee members, representatives of banks, Airports Authority of India, Customs, APSRTC and others were present.
