Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday flagged off the first batch of Hajj pilgrims of Jammu Kashmir from Srinagar airport.
The Lieutenant Governor interacted with the pilgrims and extended his greetings and best wishes for a safe pilgrimage and a truly fulfilling spiritual experience. He prayed for peace and prosperity of J&K UT and well-being of one and all.
“I extend my heartiest greetings and felicitations to pilgrims undertaking the sacred Hajj journey. The divine pilgrimage is a call from almighty and a cherished and life-long dream. The central government is committed to ensure best possible arrangements for the well-being of pilgrims and their sacred pilgrimage,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
This year 3622 pilgrims from Jammu Kashmir will perform Hajj pilgrimage.
Srinagar Airport is scheduled to operate 11 flights between May 4 to 15, facilitating approximately 3132 Hajj pilgrims from J&K, and 242 from UT of Ladakh.
The Hajj pilgrims will be received by the Consulate General of India, Ministry of External Affairs, GoI, at Jeddah.
The Lieutenant Governor also recognised and appreciated the support by all the stakeholders for successful organisation of holy pilgrimage.
Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister; Dheeraj Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary; Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; Vidhi Kumar Birdi, IGP Kashmir; Akshay Labroo, Deputy Commissioner Budgam and members of J&K Haj Committee, senior officers of Airport Authority, Civil and Police administration were present on the occasion.
The CM accorded a warm send-off to the first batch of Hajj pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir, extending his best wishes for their safe journey and smooth performance of Manasik-e-Hajj.
The Chief Minister arrived at Sheikh-ul-Alam International Airport Srinagar early this morning, where he interacted with the pilgrims before their departure. A total of 178 pilgrims boarded a direct flight to Saudi Arabia.
While interacting with the pilgrims, the Chief Minister expressed his hope for their well-being and a spiritually fulfilling Haj-e-Baitullah. He urged them to pray for lasting peace, prosperity and progress in Jammu and Kashmir, and for protection of its people from suffering and adversity.
The Chief Minister was accompanied by his Advisor Nasir Aslam Wani, Additional Chief Secretary to CM Dheeraj Gupta, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Vijay Kumar Bidhuri and other concerned.
Elaborate facilities have been put in place for the convenience of the pilgrims, including smooth transportation, boarding & lodging, luggage verification, security screening, refreshment, food, prayer arrangements, distribution of travel documents and prompt issuance of boarding passes.