Haj pilgrims demand to reinstate vaccination drive for 18

Aurangabad, May 29:

Around 25 to 27 lakhs of Muslims, hailing from different parts of the world, reach the holy city Makkah to perform the Haj pilgrimage every year. However, in the wake of Coronavirus, the Saudi Arabia government has allowed only 60,000 aspirants from all over the world to perform Hajj 2021.

The quota of pilgrims granted to India is 4,500 pilgrims. It includes 500 from Maharashtra. Meanwhile, the State Haj Committee has received applications from 7,055 aspirants till today. The figure of applications includes 1,790 from Marathwada (and 735 from Aurangabad district).

The Saudi Arabia government has clarified that each pilgrim will have to take two doses of the Covishield vaccine and the applications of devotees above 60 years of age will not be accepted. It may be noted the duration between the two doses of vaccine is of 84 days and the Haj 2021 will be performed in August. The applicants are also informed to enclose a medical (fitness) certificate stating that they had not fallen ill in the last six months. Hence a large number of applications had been submitted by aspirants from age 18 years to 45 years. If they are selected then they will have to take the vaccine. Meanwhile, the aspirants are worried as the state government had stopped the vaccination drive of citizens from age 18 to 45 years.

Meanwhile, the Markaz-e-Hujjaj Committee's Faisal Patel has urged the government to arrange the vaccine for the pilgrims considering it as a special case. The president of the Federation of Haj Pilgrims, Social Workers - Maharashtra, Syed Sajid Anwar has also requested the union health minister to arrange for vaccination of the Haj pilgrims.