Saudi okays India’s plan to ferry Haj pilgrims via sea
NEWDELHI: Paving the way for the Centre to make available a cheaper mode of transport for Haj pilgrims, Saudi Arabia has given its nod to India’s plan to revive the option of ferrying devotees to Jeddah via sea route, 23 years after the practice was stopped.
Union minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi confirmed the development in a statement after he and Saudi Arabia’s Haj and Umrah minister, Mohammad Saleh bin Taher Benten, signed a bilateral annual agreement regarding the pilgrimage in Mecca on Sunday.
Terming his meeting with Benten “very fruitful”, a statement quoted Naqvi as saying: “Saudi Arabia has given its nod to revive the option of sending pilgrims by sea route... Officials from both the countries will discuss all the necessary formalities and technicalities so that Haj pilgrimage through sea route can be started in the coming years.”
However, it did not specify the year when the option for pilgrimage via sea route would be opened. As of now, devotees can travel to Saudi Arabia for performing Haj only by air. “The revolutionary, pro-poor and pilgrim-friendly decision of sending devotees through sea route will help cut down travel expenses significantly,” Naqvi said.
The government has been weighing the option of opening the sea route in the light of a 2012 Supreme Court order to abolish by 2022 the subsidy offered to Haj pilgrims who travel by air.
Ministry sources, however, said air services to Jeddah would continue to be available for those who can afford the journey. India has a Haj quota of 1.70 lakh. It used to take nearly 12-15 days for pilgrims to reach Jeddah in Saudi Arabia from Yellow Gate in Mumbai’s Mazgaon before the sea route was closed in 1995.
Naqvi said that with the availability of modern and wellequipped ships — which can ferry 4,000 to 5,000 persons at a time — the 2,300-odd nautical miles one-side distance between Mumbai and Jeddah can now be covered within just three to four days.