The Indian Haj Mission in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia deserves praise for conducting a smooth and successful Haj for Indian pilgrims this year. Arrangements for pilgrims have improved and the whole mechanism has been streamlined over the past several years. As we know, Haj is not a gathering of people at one place but a huge movement of people between different locations like Madina, Makkah, Mina, Muzdalifa and Arafat.
It is truly amazing to manage and handle such a huge gathering of 136,020 pilgrims, 100,020 of them facilitated by the Indian Central Haj Committee, from 21 embarkation points to Saudi Arabia by 365 flights and making arrangement for their housing, transportation, food, medical and other necessities in a foreign country is a Herculean task.
This year Indian Haj Mission introduced new innovative measures, like Global Positioning System (GPS) application called “Indian Haj Accommodation Locator” the first foreign mission in Saudi Arabia to come up with this technology and for the first time Indian pilgrims were served food at their lodgings in Medina. In addition to Mobily SIM cards, train and bus tickets for transportation in Mecca and Medina were also be distributed among the pilgrims from their embarkation points in India,”
Our highest appreciation goes to External Minister of India Sushma Sawraj, Indian Ambassador Hamid Ali Rao, Consul General of India B.S. Mubarak, chairperson of the Indian Haj Committee, States Haj Committees, Consulate General of India staff and Indian Haj volunteers of various organizations and associations worked as one team for making this year’s Haj a huge success.
The dedication and creative management of Mohammed Noor Rahman Sheikh, Deputy Consul General and Consul (Haj) at the Consulate General of India and assisted by Vice-Consul N.P. Singh was commendable. I hope the Haj Committee of India and Indian Consulate General of India, Jeddah will continue and improve on this achievement.
Mir Gazanfar Ali Zaki
Mobil: 0509702186
Jeddah, K.S.A.