Telangana Haj pilgrims await promised Rs 10,000 airfare assistance

Haj pilgrims in Telangana are yet to receive the Rs 10,000 additional airfare assistance promised by the State government, AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi said in the Assembly. The government also proposed a new Haj House at Mamidipally for Rs 86.50 crore.

Hyderabad: Like several other promises, the Congress government is yet to provide Rs.10,000 assistance to Haj pilgrims towards the additional airfare incurred after the Centre increased the fare.

In May this year, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had announced that the State government would bear the additional airfare cost of Rs.10,000. He said the airfare was increased by the Centre due to the Iran war and fuel shortage. He had also announced that the Telangana government had borne the additional cost for nearly 7,000 Haj pilgrims.

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However, AIMIM Floor Leader Akbaruddin Owaisi said the Haj pilgrims had already returned to Hyderabad after completing their pilgrimage. They were yet to receive the promised Rs.10,000 assistance from the government, he said during Question Hour in the Assembly on Thursday. He also said a food bill of Rs.2 crore was pending.

The AIMIM MLA also sought details of the proposed new Haj House, including its location and estimated cost.

In reply, Minorities Welfare Minister Mohd Azharuddin said the new Haj House was proposed at Mamidipally in Shamshabad at an estimated cost of Rs.86.50 crore. However, the government was yet to sanction the funds, he said.

Azharuddin said a few offices of the Minority Welfare Department were currently functioning from the existing Haj House. Once the new Haj House was constructed, the existing facility would be used for skill development and other purposes for the minority community, he added.