Date:12/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/12/stories/2008101251500300.htm

Kerala - Kozhikode

135 doctors to be deployed in Makkah

Staff Reporter

171 Haj assistants and 51 Haj officers will be available for the pilgrims there

1.2 lakh pilgrims to the holy land this time
300 flights to be operated from 17 places

Kozhikode: The Union government has made elaborate arrangements to take care of the needs of this year’s Haj pilgrims from India, said Union Minister of State for External affairs E. Ahamed here on Saturday.

He was inaugurating a Haj camp of the Chaliyam Sunni Welfare Association on the premises of Crescent Public School, Chaliyam, near here.

Mr. Ahamed said the first Haj flight would take off from Delhi, Mumbai and Kozhikode on October 31.

The Minister said 1,23,211 pilgrims would reach the holy land from India this time.

Special facilities

On the regular arrangements and special facilities for them, he that said a team of 135 doctors, including 25 Malayalis, would be deployed in Makkah, besides 146 paramedical staff.

The service of 171 Haj assistants and 51 Haj officers would be available for the pilgrims there. Three Haj coordinators would supervise their work.

Mr. Ahamed said that Haj flights, totalling 300, would be operated from 17 places. Seven flights had already been charted for the purpose.

The Minister said that vaccines had been made available at various centres for the pilgrims.

Holy water

Elaborate arrangements had been made to ensure that every pilgrim from the country got the ‘Zam-zam’ holy water.

“This is in view of the problems faced by the pilgrims to collect the holy water during the last year’s Haj,” he said.

Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran paid a visit to the Haj camp.