Srinagar, Jan 8: The All J&K Hajj Umrah Tour Operators’ Association today charged some companies in the Valley with “cheating” the general masses by starting 2012 and 2013 Hajj bookings in absence of any quota.
 President of the association Nissar Wani told Greater Kashmir that some Hajj-Umrah companies in the Valley had started bookings for 2012 and 2013 Hajj without having any approved quota. Terming the practice as “illegal and unlawful”, Wani appealed the government to take strict action against the companies resorting to this practice.
 Wani expressed concern that while the Hajj Ministry, government of India, had yet to release the quota for 2011, “there are certain companies which have started bookings for 2012 and 2013.”
 He said if somebody is making bookings for Hajj 2011, one can understand given that the quota is expected in short time, “but one fails to understand how can anyone go with bookings for 2012 and 2013 Hajj, where no quota can be expected or released in advance.”
 Meanwhile, Wani expressed concern that J&K despite being the Muslim majority state was not getting adequate Hajj quota. He said the tour operators of J&K especially Valley were getting nominal quota as compared to their counterparts in Delhi, Mumbai, Culcatta, Banglore.
 Wani said given the majority Muslim character of the Valley, “the tour operators here deserve to be given more quota. But so far the practice being adopted is that we get a small quota.”
 Wani appealed to chief minister Omar Abdullah to use his good offices to persuade the ministry concerned at New Delhi into giving adequate Hajj quota to the operators in J&K in general and in the Valley in particular.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 8 Jan 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 8 Jan 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 9 Jan 2011 00:00:00 IST