Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Haj and Waqf Minister N Samsudheen on Thursday urged the Centre to extend the deadline for Haj applications till at least August 15, citing delays in the renewal of passports of several pilgrims.
Haj is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, a holy city for the Muslim community.
In a statement on Thursday, the minister said the request had been made to the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs and the Haj Committee of India in this regard.
He said the state had earlier written to the Centre seeking a special arrangement for the renewal of expired passports of Haj pilgrims.
Although passport officers have now been instructed to facilitate the process, many applicants have yet to receive their renewed passports, necessitating an extension of the application deadline, the statement said The minister urged the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation to permit the operation of wide-body aircraft from Kozhikode airport for Haj services.
According to him, most Haj pilgrims from Kerala prefer to depart from Kozhikode, but the restriction on larger aircraft has forced them to use other airports.
He added that travel costs from alternative airports are higher, causing hardship to pilgrims.
Samsudheen sought a refund for Haj pilgrims who were provided with GPS-enabled smartwatches introduced this year for their safety, alleging that the devices were of poor quality and unusable despite pilgrims being charged for them.
While noting that pilgrims were generally satisfied with the food arrangements, he said several groups, including those consisting entirely of women, had faced difficulties.
He requested the authorities to improve food arrangements in future and allow the Kerala Haj Committee to provide Kerala-style food to pilgrims.
The minister also sought changes in the medical certification process for Haj pilgrims, saying the present system requires them to undergo similar medical examinations in government hospitals in two stages.
He suggested obtaining a self-declaration initially and conducting a detailed medical examination along with vaccination before issuing the final certificate.
Samsudheen also thanked the Union Ministry and the Haj Committee of India for introducing more technology-enabled services for Haj pilgrims.
