Srinagar: J&K Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayed was today unanimously elected as Chairperson of the State Haj Committee (SHC) here.
The committee met under the chairmanship of Sayed and he was unanimously elected as the chairperson of the SHC which was reconstituted last month, an official spokesperson said.
Following his election, Sayeed nominated Haj and Auqaf Minister A R Veeri as the Vice-Chairperson of the committee, and also directed for a proper strategy to provide best possible services to Haj pilgrims this year.
"In order to facilitate Haj pilgrims this year, the Executive Officer should devise a strategy for their proper hand-holding, which includes awareness camps for do's and don'ts and providing unique ID cards for their hassle-free movement at the Srinagar International Airport," he said.
"The SHC should also monitor facilitation of pilgrims during security and luggage checking before their departure so that they do not face any difficulty after they alight at the holy city of Medina in Saudi Arabia," Sayeed said.
All the required measures should be in place for providing best possible services to the pilgrims in the holy land, the CM added.
Haj and Auqaf Minister Veeri said around 6,684 pilgrims are expected to perform Haj from the state this year.
"There has been a 20 per cent reduction in Haj quota, ordered by Saudi Government due to renovation and expansion of Masjid Al-Haram premises this year," he said.
The spokesperson said that direct Haj flights from here to Medina would commence from August 17 for which all necessary arrangements have been made.
While two daily flights will operate between Srinagar and Medina from August 17 to 21, a single flight will operate on a daily basis from August 22 till August 31. Each flight will carry 340 pilgrims, he said.
