Hyderabad: Nearly 9,000 pilgrims from Telangana will perform Hajj this year.
According to Chairman of Telangana Hajj Committee Moulana Syed Shah Ghulam Afzal Biyabani Khusro Pasha, as many as 6,519 Hajj pilgrims have been selected by draw of lots. Another 2,288 pilgrims from the waiting list have also been selected.
He disclosed that only 254 pilgrims are remaining in the waiting list and they will also be cleared soon.
Last year, 8,239 pilgrims from Telangana had performed Hajj. A total of 11,464 Hajj pilgrims have left for Medina through Hajj Committee from Hyderabad embarkation point last year.
Pilgrims from states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal also boarded the flights of Saudi Airlines from Hyderabad.
Pilgrims had the option of choosing embarkation points as per their convenience. Many from neighbouring states and few from other states opted for Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, the Telangana State Hajj Committee is holding orientation programmes for the intending pilgrims. The third training camp was held in Attapur in Hyderabad on January 12. The fourth camp is scheduled on January 19 at Masjid-e-Alamgir in Guttala Begumpet. Religious scholars will explain the Hajj rituals and the process of visiting Madina Munawwarah.
Special arrangements have been made for women pilgrims. Irfan Shareef, assistant executive officer, will provide information about travel preparations and logistics for the journey. The committee encourages all selected pilgrims to attend the camp to ensure they are fully prepared for their journey.
Addressing the training camp at Attapur, Khusro Pasha said Hajj is a challenging worship. He advised intending pilgrims to perform all the rituals with full commitment and ensure that there is no indiscipline during Hajj journey.
He mentioned in the past pilgrims used to travel by sea for Hajj and the journey used to take 25-30 days. The pilgrims used to face severe hardships. Now it takes 3-4 hours for pilgrims to reach Saudi Arabia comfortably.
Khusro Pasha said on the suggestion of Telangana Hajj Committee, the name of Khadim-ul-Hujjaj has been changed to State Hajj Inspector. Earlier, there used to one Khadim-ul-Hujjaj for 200 pilgrims but now there will be one State Hajj Inspector for every 150 pilgrims.
