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Yet another Haj season has arrived and the proposed Haj Ghar continues to keep pilgrims in wait. The wait seems to continue with election year ahead, further delaying the proposal from becoming a reality.

As many as 780 pilgrims from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu and Hassan districts will be leaving for Madina in different batches by a direct flight from Mangaluru International Airport in a span of three days beginning July 24. The pilgrims will travel by bus from Madina to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

In the absence of Haj Ghar, the district Wakf Board and Haj advisory committee have made arrangements to accommodate pilgrims this time at Ansar School (holidays declared during the period) near the airport. Apart from that, a flat has been taken on rent at a condominium nearby for the benefit of pilgrims.

As is the procedure, the pilgrims will have to deposit their luggages much in advance at the old airport, while they have to undergo several other procedures, warranting them to stay at the school much in advance.

Though one acre and 92 cents of land has been bought at Kenjar near Bajpe to build Haj Ghar, procedural delays have come in the way of the facility from becoming a reality. Had the facility been created at least this time, it would have been easy to accommodate them with ease, says secretary of Haj Advisory Committee, S M Rasheed Haji.

During previous years, pilgrims from other districts were accommodated at old airport, which was not possible this time, with the office space allotted to Indian Coast Guard, Rasheed told DH.
Rise in number

It was decided to construct Haj Ghar following the rise in the number of pilgrims. It has been eight years since the proposal was mooted. It also found a mention in the maiden budget of the Congress-led state government in 2013. However, it was only in the recent budget that the government allocated Rs 10 crore against the earlier Rs one crore to create the sophisticated facility.

A sprawling Haj Bhavan became functional in Bengaluru last year, Rasheed added.

The dedicated facility for Haj pilgrims, mostly from far-flung districts, is imperative for the reason that after Bengaluru, it’s only from Mangaluru that Haj pilgrims travel by air. Or else, they have to take the flight from either Goa or Hyderabad.

Ebrahim Kodijal, a former acting president of Dakshina Kannada district Congress committee, said though the Haj Ghar was sanctioned much earlier, it was only during the recent budget that Rs 10 crore was allotted for the project. Repeated attempts to contact the district minority officer went futile.