The Haj Committee of India (HCI) confirmed a hike of around Rs 30,000, with this the Haj pilgrimage will get costlier this year. In fact, the HCI is expecting a rise in foreign exchange to further increase the costs to the pilgrims.
A person on condition of keeping his name anonymous said that “We are following the guidelines of the apex court”. The airfare in 2013 was around Rs 28,000, which increased to Rs 35,000 in the year 2014. Now, in 2015, it has risen to Rs 7,000 and stands at Rs 42,000.
According to HCI member Abdul Hajj, the conversion is likely to increase by Rs 1.49 for every riyal. “This is an increase from last year’s Rs 15.42 for every Saudi riyal to Rs 17.03 this year. There still could be some changes in this rate,” he said.
Pilgrims Azizia Category, which arranges accommodation within seven kilometres from the holy mosques, will have to pay around Rs 1.90 lakh this year as against the Rs 1.65 lakh which the HCI had charged last year.
Similarly Those who opt for Green Category, which provides accommodation in an around the holy mosques, will have to spend around Rs 2.25 lakh this year in contrast to Rs 1.91 lakh last year. Pilgrims would be allowed two check-in baggages. This would cost the committee another Rs 7,000.