27,000 Haj pilgrims to reclaim advance payments

LUCKNOW More than 27,000 Haj pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh stand to be refunded advance payments made to the State Haj Committee following uncertainty over this year’s pilgrimage. The move came after the State Haj Committee made an announcement that it would initiate complete refund of the deposited amount and no cancellation charges would be deducted.

Central Haj Committee member and Varanasi embarkation centre co-ordinator Iftikhar Ahmed Javed said that Covid-19 has hit almost everything. “The annual Islamic pilgrimage is no exception. Since the Saudi Ministry of Haj is yet to clear its stand on the pilgrimage this year, it has been decided to refund the advance paid by the pilgrims,” said Ahmed. He said that the Central Haj Committee has also issued a circular for the same.

According to the circular issued by the Central Haj Committee,

it said that it is very difficult to make arrangements because of the epidemic and advised people not to go for Haj this year. Besides, it also said that in the absence of any information from Saudi Arabia regarding the annual pilgrimage, Haj pilgrims who have made advance deposits can reclaim their payments.

While highlighting the procedure of claiming refunds, Javed said that those who deposited an advance can apply for refunds through the Haj Committee’s website, where the form to claim refunds has already been uploaded. “Also, it has been decided that no cancellation fees would be deducted. The entire deposit will be refunded,” he said.

According to the State Haj Committee, this year, around 28,045 pilgrims had applied for Haj. Of these, around 27,000 pilgrims had deposited the first instalment of around Rs 2 lakh.

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