UP Haj Committee embraces Saudi Airlines for Haj, shuns Air India

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UP to shun Air India for Haj, embrace Saudi Airlines
ARSHAD AFZAL KHAN, April 28, 2008

Faizabad, April 27 The govt carrier will lose Rs 50 crore every year if Haj panel sticks to its decision
The Haj Committee of Uttar Pradesh has decided to change its loyalties from Air India to Saudi Airlines for sending pilgrims to Jeddah, allegedly due to the step-motherly treatment meted out to the Hajis. With nearly 30,000 pilgrims undertaking Haj pilgrimage every year from the state, the decision is likely to cause a revenue loss of around Rs 50 crore to Air India.

“We have decided not to take the services of Air India for our Haj pilgrims,” said Mohammad Jawed Khan, deputy secretary of the UP Haj Committee. In a letter to the Central Haj Committee and the Government of India, the government has made it clear that “due to misbehaviour and misconduct of the Air India staff with Haj pilgrims, the services of Air India will not be availed at any cost”, Jawed Khan told The Indian Express.

Haj Committee secretary Laeeq Ahmad said: “The Air India staff always give step-motherly treatment to Haj pilgrims, though we pay a huge amount to it, that too six months in advance.”

Laeeq added: “They always use their small and condemned aircraft for the pilgrims. Last year, several pilgrims had lodged complaints regarding the crew members’ misconduct.”

Air India’s Executive Director Jitendra Bhargava, however, rubbished the allegations. “It is nothing but politics by UP leaders. We are operating from 16 states and none of them have any problems,” he said.

Bhargava added that it is for the Government of India to decide which airline should carry the Haj pilgrims.

“So far, we have received no such communication from the government.”

Reacting to his comment, Principal Secretary, Uttar Pradesh Minorities Welfare department, M A A Khan said: “We are not going to debate on what the Air India is saying. Our only concern is the comfort of pilgrims. We have received their complaints and are arranging the best facilities for the next batch.”

Dr Khan said they have conveyed the grievances expressed by the Haj pilgrims to the Union government at a meeting.

Complaints lodged by pilgrims
* Air India was not allowing Haj pilgrims to bring back Aab-e-Zum Zum, the holy water, on their return flights from Jeddah. After performing Haj, every Haji brings back with about 20 litres of Aab-e-Zum Zum, which the Saudi Airlines carries free of cost while Air India charges for it as extra baggage.
* The meals and water served to Haj pilgrims during the flight are below standard and less hygienic as many pilgrims complained of indigestion after consuming it last year.
* Air India uses its small and condemned planes with less luggage carrying capacity to transport Haj pilgrims.
* The crew’s behaviour towards pilgrims is very poor. A Sultanpur resident, who performed Haj last year, had asked a crew member how to use the toilet. He was told: “If you don’t know how to use it, better don’t use it and make it dirty.”

*Source: UP Haj Committee

Haj pilgrim subsidy has Air India fuming; fare set by the Saudi Arabia Airlines; Haj funded by taxing Hindu kafirs

Posted by jagoindia on October 27, 2008

Air India, Saudi Airlines to fly Haj pilgrims from Oct 30

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India pulls up MEA for “unwieldy” Haj goodwill delegation

Haj subsidy has Air India fuming

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/haj-subsidy-has-air-india-fuming/360651/0

Shauvik Ghosh, Sep 13, 2008

The Cabinet’s decision to increase the number of pilgrims availing the Haj subsidy and flying by the national carrier this year has had Air India fuming. For a carrier already reeling under Rs 2,000-crore loss and burdened with severe employee-related issues, a welfare measure like this puts undue duress on it.

Interestingly, Air India does not even get to set the amount of fare payable to the carrier transporting the pilgrims. This is set by the Saudi Arabia Airlines that also carries out the Haj duty.

“The sheer volumes of people and logistics and resources that go in the Haj duties is huge,” an official attached with the national carrier said.

“Aircraft engaged in Haj duty have to first pick up pilgrims from the smaller towns which have been approved as part of the hub and spoke arrangement, and then after they drop the pilgrims to the final destination, they come back empty,” he added. Similarly, in order to pick up the pilgrims, the aircraft have to go to Jeddah empty, which results in an increase in expenditure. Any commercial airliner does not view huge aircraft flying empty favourably as it implies a loss in revenue.

Last year, Air India had pitched for allowing private airlines to operate Haj flights, saying this could lead to a cut in fares and reduce the subsidy burden.

Under a bilateral agreement between India and Saudi Arabia, any Indian going for the Haj has to fly by Air India or Saudi Arabian Airlines, giving the two carriers a monopoly in carrying the pilgrims.

In a reply to a query under the Right to Information Act, Air India had said: “There is no benefit to the government of India (in giving) AI and Indian monopoly in operating Haj flights. Allowing private airlines to operate on Haj flights may result in reduction in fares and reduction in burden of subsidy to the government.”

The reply, by Air India’s then public information officer and general manager (finance) A J D’Souza to Mumbai-based activist Attar Azeemi’s query dated June 22, 2007, stated “Air India does not have the capacity to operate Haj flights. Therefore, aircraft are leased by AI for carriage of Haj pilgrims,” D’Souza said.

Over and above this, according to Air India officials, one major reason for last year’s severe delays and cancellations in air travel faced by the national carrier was the diversion of aircraft towards Haj operations. Since 1993 (except 1997), due to the heavy volume of passengers going on the Haj, Air India started wet-leasing aircraft from other carriers. The Haj season comes during the peak season for air travel and aircraft for lease come at a premium. Wet-leasing involves the hiring of an aircraft along with its pilot and crew. Last year, Air India wet-leased three aircraft from low-cost carrier Spicejet to aid in Haj operations.

The standing committee on external affairs and the transport and tourism parliamentary standing committee had also recommended that the government progressively reduce and eventually eliminate the Haj subsidy altogether. The expenditure reforms commission in its tenth report has recommended that till the time the modalities of phasing out of the subsidy is decided, it should be frozen and the number of pilgrims availing it should also be frozen.

The Cabinet on Thursday kept the amount paid by the pilgrims for the round trip to Jeddah and Medina at Rs 12,000, as it has remained since 1994. In 1991, the amount paid by the pilgrims was Rs 10,000 as against Rs 14,056 per passenger paid to Air India by the government. This amount was then gradually raised to Rs 12,000 by 1994 against Rs 17,000 paid to the carrier. Last year, while 1,10,000 pilgrims availed the subsidy paying only Rs 12,000 each, the amount paid by the government to the carrier was Rs 47,454 per passenger.

According to sources, the total cost for Haj operations last year (for 1,10,000 pilgrims) was Rs 727 crore of which the subsidy requirement was Rs 595 crore.

This year, in order for the pilgrimage of 1,23,211 pilgrims, the total cost estimated by the government is Rs 847 crore, of which the subsidy requirement will be approximately Rs 700 crore.

Air India has been operating the Haj charter flights since 1954. Before that, pilgrims used to travel by ship with the ministry of shipping paying the subsidy.

The number of Haj pilgrims has risen significantly since 31,000 in 1995. In 2000, Air India carried 71,924 pilgrims to Jeddah and on Thursday the Cabinet approved an increase in the total Haj pilgrims that can avail the subsidy to 1,23,211 from 1,10,000 a year earlier.

According to sources, there are four main elements in calculating the cost of operating the Haj subsidy.

These include ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance), other operational costs like airport charges and catering among other services, unrecovered hidden cost like salaries of people working the whole year for smooth Haj operations and the service tax on Haj operations levied by the service tax department for which exemption has been denied by the finance ministry.

Comments
» Fairness among religions
Posted by Koushik on 2008-09-13 10:31:30.298479+05:30
Where is the fairness among resource allocation to religions ? On one hand, 40 acres of land cannot be given for two months but Rs 600 crores can be given away as subsidies.If one adds back subsidies to Air India, things will look quite good. Perhaps this is a cause of sickness of Air India.It is high time various religions are governed in the same manner. If govt takes over temples and appoints priests it is fair that the same is done for mosques and churches.

Taxing Hindus for Haj subsidy

November 18, 2007

http://www.hindujagruti.org/news/3414.html

Mumbai (Maharashtra): To reduce the impact of steep increase in the fuel prices on the quantum of Haj subsidy provided in the Union Budget, the Ministry of Civil Aviation is reported to have suggested an increase in the airfare charged from Haj pilgrims from Rs 12,000 to Rs 16,000. However, the Union Cabinet has turned down the proposal on the ground that the increase would not be “in keeping with the commitment of the UPA Government to protect and promote the welfare of the Jihadi community”.As a result of this decision, the total Haj subsidy is expected to rise from Rs 343 crore to Rs 368 crore. It is not the Centre alone that has been spending money on Haj subsidy — almost all State Governments have set up Haj houses. In fact, State Governments across the country spend roughly about Rs 1,000 crore annually.

The granting of subsidy to Haj pilgrims to Jeddah and Medina is flawed on more than one count. First, it is against the spirit of the Constitution as it promotes communalism. Second, it is an insult to Hindus and Sikhs who were thrown out of Pakistan in 1947. Third, these Hindus and Sikh refugees have already paid the price of Partition. Under no circumstances should the money collected from these Hindu and Sikh tax-payers be used to fund Haj subsidy.

Fourth, Hindus who were not affected by the country’s division on religious lines be asked to foot the bill as it is their turn to bear the cost of minority appeasement. Fifth, the payment of Haj subsidy is similar to the levying of jizya on Hindus. For almost 600 years, Hindus paid jizya duringJihadirule. The manner of payment of jizya was most humiliating.

Sultan Alauddin Khalji once asked a qazi: “How are Hindus designated in the law?” The qazi replied: “They are called payers of tribute, and when the revenue officer demands silver from them, they should without question, and with all humility and respect, tender gold. If the officer throws dirt in their mouths, they must without reluctance open their mouths wide to receive it. The due subordination of the dhimmi is exhibited in this humble payment, also by throwing of dirt into their mouths.” (Indian Islam by Murray Titus).

The Government should, therefore , do away with Haj subsidy. Hindus cannot be expected to pay for the religious duties of Muslims.

Source: Dailypioneer.com

Air India, Saudi Airlines to fly Haj pilgrims from Oct 30

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India pulls up MEA for “unwieldy” Haj goodwill delegation

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