Haj: Srinagar among 10 regions to get addl embarkation option

JAMMU: For the first time, Haj aspirants from Srinagar will have an additional option to choose from where they want to fly to Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage-primarily aimed at economical airfare cost.
This was revealed by Union minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi who announced 10 regions including Srinagar, Guwahati, Ranchi, Gaya, Indore, Bhopal, Mangaluru, Goa, Aurangabad and Varanasi, from where the Haj aspirants will now get additional economical option to fly from, as part of new Haj Policy.
Specifying into the Jammu and Kashmir, the Haj aspirants from state - our nearest EP being Srinagar, can opt to travel from Delhi now, helping them save on (per head) airfare.
For Haj 2017, the airfare for the pilgrimage from Srinagar was Rs 1,09,692 as against Rs 73,697 from Delhi, a huge difference of Rs 36 thousands.
The caveat in the announcement is, however, that embarkation point once selected cannot be changed later on as tendering will be done accordingly.
The embarkation point shall also be the disembarkation point on the return journey, the source said.
"For the first time, we will give an option of an additional embarkation point...It will depend on the aspirants now from where they want to travel," Naqvi said, adding the move will help save money.
A high-level committee formed by his ministry to frame draft Haj Policy 2018-2022 had proposed to bring down the number of EPs from present 21 to 9. Naqvi, however, stressed the number of EPs will not be reduced.
There are a total of 21 Haj embarkation points (EPs) in the country -- Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Cochin, Indore, Srinagar, Bhopal, Guwahati, Mangaluru, Aurangabad, Varanasi, Jaipur, Nagpur, Ranchi, Gaya, Ahmedabad and Goa.