Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Minority Welfare Sk. Azmath Basha Bepari has said the demand for the relocation of Haj house from Vidyadharapuram in the city to a more appropriate location will be taken to the notice of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. He said the Muslim fraternity was not happy with both the Haj houses proposed and finalised by the previous government at Kadapa and in the city. Mr. Bepari was speaking on the sidelines of the ‘Orientation Programme For Online Flight Booking’ for Haj pilgrims here on Wednesday.
Closer to airport
“No one was happy about the construction of the Haj House at Vidyadharapuram, which is a smaller plot adjoining burial grounds. Ideally, a Haj House in a capital city should be spacious and located close to the international airport. We shall take this to the notice of the Chief Minister and ensure that a Haj House is constructed close to the airport in Gannavaram,” Mr. Bepari said.
Further, he felt the Haj House in Kadapa was built at a cost of ₹ 25 crore but was not useful to anyone. “A Haj house is a facility for Haj pilgrims who need to lodge and undergo training before reaching the embarkation points at an international airport.
There was no scope for such arrangement at Kadapa which is far away from any international airport,” he said. MROs to protect Waqf properties. Mr. Bepari assured that Wakf properties would be protected by roping in Mandal Revenue Officers who would help the short-staffed Wakf board. “There is only one officer per district to look after Wakf properties,” he pointed out.
About the online flight booking, Mr. Bepari said pilgrims would no more need to reach embarkation points two days before the schedule as online booking saves a lot of time.
“Pilgrims can go to the Haj House in Hyderabad just six to 10 hours before the embarkation and it will be a hassle-free procedure throughout,” he said and thanked the Telangana government and Telangana State Haj Committee (TSHC) for extending all support without levying any service charge.
Helpful
TSHC chairman Md. Masiullah Khan who also took part in the programme assured support to pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh and said they would be treated at par with their fellow pilgrims from Telangana.
Mr. Bepari said the Telangana government was kind enough to allow AP Haj volunteers to assist pilgrims at Haj house and also the airport.
Guntur East MLA Md. Mustafa Shaik said it would be helpful for pilgrims of the district Haj societies assist pilgrims in booking flight tickets online.
AP Haj Committee Chief Executive Officer S. Md. Tajuddin, Additional Secretary (Minority Welfare) P. Usha Kumari, Haj volunteers and others were present.
