J-K govt asks Centre to review 'exorbitant' airfare for Haj

Jammu and Kashmir government has asked the Centre to review "exorbitant" airfare charged from pilgrims slated to perform the Haj for second time this year.
"The state government has taken a strong note of exorbitantly higher airfare for the repeat pilgrims of Srinagar, in comparison with Delhi or other embarkation points as prescribed by the Haj Committee of India," an government spokesman said here.
Although only 55 of the 8,819 pilgrims from the state are registered under repeat category, the state government has taken up the matter with Union ministries of External Affairs and Civil Aviation, he said.
The state government has suggested that the benefit of airfare subsidy may be extended to repeat pilgrims as well or at least the airfare for Srinagar Embarkation Point be brought down to a reasonable level comparable with rates prescribed for other embarkation points like Delhi or Mumbai, the spokesman said.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and minister for Haj and Auqaf Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed are in constant touch with the Centre in this regard, he added.