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Now, private tour operators to charge fixed price from Haj pilgrims
From this year, private tour operators would no more be allowed to charge exorbitantly from Haj pilgrims.
From this year, private tour operators would no more be allowed to charge exorbitantly from Haj pilgrims.
The Central Haj Committee will now not only decide the quota of pilgrims for private tour operators but also fix the price to be charged from them.
The move is part of the plan to make Haj through private tour operators also affordable. It is also aimed at bringing more transparency and accountability in the functioning of private tour operators, said Naimuddin Siddiqui, national president of Tanzim Khuddam Haj Committee, which trains the pilgrims and sends Khuddam (who help people) with them.
As per the plan made in consultation with IIT Delhi, the central haj committee has decided to put private tour operators in three groups.
“In total 11, 368 pilgrims would travel for the pilgrimage as a part of private tours,” said Siddiqui.
As of now, those who go on the pilgrimage are placed in two categories—the green and Azizia.
For Green category, the Haj Committee has fixed Rs 2,90,850 while for Aziazia Rs 2,53,800 has been fixed as the total cost of pilgrimage, which include air travel, local accommodation, food and local transport.
The ministry of minority welfare has formed a Haj Group Organization of the tour operators and has placed them under three groups —Star Group, first Category and the third Category.
Registration for all the tour operators under the three groups has been made compulsory.
About 117 tour operators were listed in the Star category and each of them would have to carry 114 pilgrims. Of these 36 pilgrims will be selected by the Haj Committee.
In the first category, there are 196 operators and each of them have been allocated a quota of 79. They would have to accommodate 26 pilgrims selected by the Haj Committee.
The second category has 412 private tour operators and each of them has been allocated a quota of 50 pilgrims. These operators would have to accommodate five pilgrims selected by the Haj Committee.
Siddiqui said the tour operators would be bound to provide all the facilities to the pilgrims selected by the haj committees.
