Srinagar: With a few days left for the first batch of Hajj aspirants to leave for the holy pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, fate of hundreds of aspirants who have registered themselves with private tour operators is hanging in balance.
Sources told Kashmir Observer that centre government has not taken any decision about the pilgrimage quota for the private tour operators in Jammu and Kashmir.
The GOI has not yet released the Hajj quota 2014 to the private tour operators due to which the operators and the Hajj aspirants are keeping their fingers crossed, said a tour operator who has already made the bookings for Hajj 2014. We have sent the money to our counterparts operating in Saudia Arabia in advance and they have already made all the arrangements. If government fails to come for our rescue we will suffer huge losses and our reputation will get ruined, he added.
The tour operator said recently a few Kashmir based politicians took up the matter of release of Hajj quota for the private tour operators with the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and apprised him about their dilemma and the Hajj aspirants.
The Home Minister said that the process has stopped due to the Supreme Court orders and the government is waiting for the court orders, the operator quoted the politician as having said.
The Home Minister, according to the tour operator said, We are working on the issue and would complete all the necessary process before the commencement of the Hajj pilgrimage.
Home Minster assured the Kashmiri politicians that he will personally examine the issue so that it could get solved at an earliest, the operator quoted the politician as having said.
Pertinently, the government earlier this week had warned the private tour operators to stop trying to maximise their personal interest at the cost of pilgrims, as they (pilgrims) are the ones who suffer at the end.
While arrangements of 120,000 people going through the Hajj Committee, where the Indian government makes all arrangements, have been made, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said there are issues with 36,000 pilgrims who would be going through private tour operators.
The quota of Indian nationals who will go to the Hajj this year is 156,000 and the first batch of Hajj pilgrims is scheduled to leave on August 27.
The matter is now with the Supreme Court but unless the private tour operators review their position, it is going to be extremely difficult for them to meet the requirements of the Saudi government and they may well lose the opportunity to send Indian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia through their aegis, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said.
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