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746 pilgrims from Telangana leave for Haj
The first batch of 373 Haj pilgrims from the State were given a warm farewell at Haj House in the early hours of Monday.
Hyderabad: The first batch of 373 Haj pilgrims from the State were given a warm farewell at Haj House in the early hours of Monday. Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali flagged off the first bus amid a gathering of dignitaries. They included Haj Committee of India (HCI) chairman AP Abdulla Kutty, State Haj Committee chairman Mohammed Saleem, and renowned scholar Maulana Mufti Khaleel Ahmed, Vice-Chancellor, Jamia Nizamia.
The second batch of 373 pilgrims left the Haj House on Monday evening. City Police Commissioner CV Anand, along with members and other dignitaries flagged off the bus at Haj Camp. A total of 746 pilgrims left from the Hyderabad embarkation point. They reached Jeddah safely and moved to Mecca.
Executive Officer B Shafiulah welcomed the pilgrims and requested them to take care of their health, safety and security, besides maintaining communication with all concerned. Assistant EO Irfan Shareef explained the important aspects of journey and logistics. Abdulla Kutty lauded the arrangements at the Hyderabad Embarkation point by terming it as the best in the country.
Men clad in 'ihram' (the two-sheet outfit, made of unstitched white cloth, worn during Haj) and women covered with burqa and head cover presented a unique spiritual look depicting higher degree of purity of body and soul, while the Haj House presented a festive look. The pilgrims boarded buses amid chanting of special prayer 'Talbiyah'.
Saleem, along with members of the State Haj Committee, supervised the arrangements minutely at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport terminal. The members bid a warm send-off to the pilgrims at the tarmac before they boarded the SAA chartered flight. Later they flagged off the plane before the takeoff.
After a gap of two years pilgrims from India are performing Haj. Saudi had not allowed pilgrims from other countries in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid pandemic. The Haj quota this year has been reduced in view of Covid protocol. Telangana has been allocated a quota of 1,822. About 5,000 pilgrims from the State had performed Haj in 2019.
Officials said this year 3,016 pilgrims, including those from some districts of AP, Karnataka and Maharashtra, would leave from Hyderabad on SAA flights.
