Port Blair, Apr 03: Lt Gen (Retd) Bhopinder Singh, PVSM, AVSM, Lt. Governor, Andaman and Nicobar Islands has personally taken up the issue of increasing Haj seats for the UT of Andaman & Nicobar Islands from this year onwards with the Hon’ble Minister for External Affairs, Govt. of India. Shri G.H.C. Jadwet, Chairman of A&N Islands State Haj Committee had met with Lt. Governor this morning and informed about the curtailment of Haj quota for A&N Islands’ Haj pilgrims from 2011 by the Haj Committee of India, Mumbai. In 2011, the Committee had restricted the quota of Haj seats for the A&N Islands to 30 as against 79 applicants. This had caused some resentment among the muslim community in the Islands.
In a letter addressed to Shri S.M. Krishna, Minister for External Affairs, Govt. of India, Lt. Governor has pointed out that while the UT of Lakshadweep with a muslim population of 60,000 was allocated 304 seats, the UT of Andaman & Nicobar Islands having about 30,000 muslim population was allotted only 30 seats. Lt. Governor has pointed out that due to the remote location of the islands, it is extremely difficult for our muslim population to use the services of private tour operators on the mainland for undergoing Haj. Therefore, they have to depend only on the Haj Committee of India for undertaking the pilgrimage.
Lt. Governor has thus sought personal intervention of the Minister for External Affairs to increase the number of seats to enable all interested applicants of the islands to be accommodated for the Haj pilgrimage.
