As the Haj Committee of India dropped Chennai as one of the embarkation points for Haj 2021, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to designate the city again as an embarkation point.
The Haj Committee had said that owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of embarkation points had been reduced from 21 to 10 for Haj 2021, and Chennai was not on the list. The pilgrims from Tamil Nadu have been assigned Kochi.
In his letter, Mr. Palaniswami said, “It will be logistically challenging for Haj pilgrims, who are mostly senior citizens, to travel from various locations in the State of Tamil Nadu to Kochi for boarding the flight. These pilgrims have represented to me about the hardship and difficulties they are likely to face while embarking on the Haj pilgrimage from Kochi.”
He assured the Prime Minister that the State government would follow the prescribed COVID-19 protocol to ensure the safety of the pilgrims while sending them from Chennai. “Keeping in mind the hardship and inconvenience to the pilgrims from Tamil Nadu, I request that Chennai be designated as an embarkation point for Haj 2021, as in earlier years,” he said.
Every year, more than 4,500 Haj pilgrims from Tamil Nadu and neighbouring States proceed to Saudi Arabia from Chennai.
“Direct flights were operated from Chennai to Jeddah and back since 1987, benefiting the pilgrims of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands,” Mr. Palaniswami recalled.
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