390 Haj pilgrims from Odisha leave for Mecca

A total of 257 Haj pilgrims from Odisha boarded their flight for the annual pilgrimage to Mecca on Wednesday. The pilgrims boarded their flight from Kolkata airport to Saudi Arabia in the presence of their relatives and officials from the state Haj committee, among others.

With this, a total of 390 pilgrims from Odisha have left for Haj this year till now, informed Executive Officer of the Haj committee, Sayed Mohammed Aqdas. He informed that the rest of the pilgrims boarded their flights to Saudi Arabia in six groups from different cities.

Some of them took flights from Bengaluru, while others left from Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad, respectively. Return journey of the pilgrims would start from July 7 onwards, the official stated.

This is the second time Kolkata airport saw the departure of Odisha pilgrims within a week. According to TOI, a group of 28 pilgrims had earlier boarded their flight to Mecca on May 20. The state government ensured a smooth and hassle-free journey for all pilgrims.

Haj Committee Executive Officer told media persons that the state government has ensured a smooth and hassle-free journey for all pilgrims. He said the Haj committee, as part of its preliminary preparations, has provided necessary Haj training for the pilgrims at different places before their departure and inoculated them.

The pilgrims are also accompanied by three Haj inspectors, sent by the Haj committee. Besides, the government is going to transfer a package amount to all pilgrims’ accounts, instead of providing them Haj kits, Aqdas revealed.