Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Oct 20: In the cabinet meeting that met under the leadership of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at New Delhi on Monday October 19, Mangalore and Ranchi were added as additional centres from where the Haj pilgrims can board their direct flights. With the addition of these two centres, the number of airports from where the Haj pilgrims have been permitted to board direct flights to Saudi Arabia, has gone up to 19.
At the same time, the union government has decided to hike the air fare to be collected from the pilgrims, to Rs 16,000 from the earlier Rs 12,000. However, the Haj Committee has objected to the hike, saying that the announcement has come belatedly. As the Committee has already booked pilgrimage by collecting Rs 12,000 from each of the pilgrims, the responsibility of collecting additional funds will be cumbersome, it noted.
The total number of Haj pilgrims from the country this year is expected to be 1,15,000. Air India will be arranging for 137 special flights for taking the Haj pilgrims from various destinations.
Additional Stops for Express Trains: Already, eight trains have been given a halt at the Farooq railway station that is the nearest rail link to the Karipur airport in Kozhikode, Kerla. The Southern Railway has announced that five additional express trains will stop over at this station between October 20 and November 22, for the convenience of the Haj pilgrims taking flight from here. It said that this decision was taken at the behest of the minister of state in the railways, E Ahamed.
The additional trains that will stop at the Farooq station are Ernakulam-Kannur inter-city express, Lokamanyatilak - Tiruvanantapuram Netravati Express, Chennai Central - Mangalore West Coast Exprwess, Mangalore - Tiruvanantapuram Centrral Mavali Express and Tiruvanantapuram Central - Kozhikode Janashatabdi Express. These trains will stop for three minutes at the new stop, the release explained. The halt timings of the other trains, which as of now, stop at the said station for a minute each, have been increased to three minutes, it said.