Prince of Arcot Mohammed Abdul Ali has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and restore Chennai International Airport as an embarkation point for Hajj pilgrims of 2021 from Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
In a statement, he said Chennai has continued to be an important embarkation point ever since flights were started in 1987 to Jeddah.
“It was shocking to learn that the Hajj Committee of India, Mumbai, has not included Chennai as an embarkation centre for Hajj 2021 and pilgrims (from TN, Pondy and Andamans) have been clubbed with Kochi passengers. This would mean that the pilgrims will have to travel to Kochi, which would cause tremendous difficulty, to the elderly and weak pilgrims in particular,” he said.
The Tamil Nadu Hajj Committee and Tamil Nadu Hajj Service Society have created exclusive Hajj House in the heart of Chennai for the comfort of pilgrims, he added. He also appreciated the efforts of CM Edapaddi K Palaniswami for taking the issue to the PM’s knowledge.
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