'Choose Ranchi as Haj embarkment point'

RANCHI: Worried about losing Ranchi as an embarkment point, the Jharkhand State Haj Committee on Monday appealed to applicants for next year's Haj pilgrimage to opt for Ranchi as an embarkment point.
Filling of online applications for Haj pilgrimage for 2019 started on October 18 and till date, only 323 pilgrims have applied. Chairperson of the state committee, Rizwaan Khan, said, "According to the rules, at least 1,500 Hajis have to depart from an embarkment point or it will be de-registered."
Hajis from Jharkhand have two options for embarkment - Ranchi and Kolkata.Of the 323 applicants so far, only 191 have applied for Ranchi while the rest have applied for Kolkata. The last date for filing applications is November 17, but the committee members have assured that the date will be extended further.
This year, 2,700 Hajis went on pilgrimage from the state and 700 had applied for Kolkata as embarkment point while 2,000 applied from Ranchi.
Explaining the reason behind people opting Kolkata as an embarkment point, Khan said, "Last year, there was a difference of over Rs 16,000 in flight tickets from Kolkata and Ranchi. Considering this, people are now opting for Kolkata to save some money."
Khan informed that the committee has appealed to Union minority welfare minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to ensure that the cost of flight tickets for Hajis from Kolkata and Ranchi is brought at a par. "He has promised us that the cost will be taken care of. This is the reason that we are appealing to people to apply for Ranchi," Khan said.
The committee has also demanded that like Kolkata, Ranchi should also be made embarkment point for neighbouring states like West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
"People come to us from Purulia requesting to embark from Ranchi as it is nearer to their districts. The minister has assured us that they will try to fulfil this demand of ours by 2020," Khan added.