UP to wrap up arrangements for Haj pilgrims by Sep 11

Lucknow, Sep 3 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh government Monday asked officials to complete all arrangements by Sep 11 for the departure of Haj pilgrims from the state.

In separate letters written to district magistrates of Lucknow and Varanasi, Chief Secretary Jawwed Usmani directed them to review the progress of work in this regard by convening a meeting of the officials concerned.

The chief secretary pointed out that this year about 32,000 pilgrims would be visiting Saudi Arabia for Haj, out of which about 11,500 and 4,400 would be from Lucknow and Varanasi, respectively.

The pilgrims will report at the Maulana Ali Miyan Memorial Haj House in Lucknow and the temporary Haj house setup at the Gautam Buddha Trade Exhibition Centre in Varanasi, at least 48 hours before the time of their flights.

Usmani said that according to the flight schedule of the Haj Committee of India, the pilgrims would leave Varanasi for Haj daily between Sep 20 and Oct 5 on a 250-seater aircraft.

From the Lucknow embarking point, the pilgrims will leave daily for Saudi Arabia between Sep 17 and Oct 5 on 2-3 flights, each with a seating capacity of 300.