Amendment of Haj Act sought

BANGALORE, Aug 24: The composition of the Central Haj Committee must be changed and the Haj Act amended, urged the minister of state for ho...

BANGALORE, Aug 24: The composition of the Central Haj Committee must be changed and the Haj Act amended, urged the minister of state for home and Wakfs and Chairman of Karnataka State Haj Committee Roshan Baig.

He, among others including Governor Khurshid Alam Khan, was speaking at the inauguration of the two-day All India Haj Conference to discuss the Haj Committee Bill, organised by the Karnataka Haj Committee here.

While exhorting a thorough revision of the present Haj Act by an expert panel, Baig recommended a draft Haj Act forming the basis for an ordinance to be issued as soon as possible. This ordinance could be enforced by an Act in Parliament, he suggested.

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He pointed out that the present Haj committee included the Port Health Officer, Mumbai, the Police Commissioner, the Chairman of Mercantile Marine Department and many others, who do not have any role to play in Haj management.

Emphasising that persons of repute in their special areas of work needed to be nominated to the Committee, he said the chairman of the Haj committee should be elected “on the basis of merit and knowledge of Haj”.

The management of the Haj programmes be given to the Executive director, he stated.

He also pressed for modern management techniques be introduced. The funds of the Haj committee should be handled more professionally with greater transparency and in accordance with the system of Islamic Banking Affairs, he said.

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Governor Khurshed Alam Khan, who inaugurated the conference, said equal representation should be given to all States in the Central Haj Committee.

Pointing out that the existing Central Haj Committee did not have equal representation from all States, he said a drastic change had taken place in the number of Hajis (pilgrims) and their mode of transportation in recent years.

The Ministry of External Affairs should take steps in providing more facilities to the pilgrims, he said.

Backing the need for an amendment in the present Haj Act, he said the Act of 1959 was not suitable in the present day.

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Chairman of the Central Haj Committee Salamathullah said some basic changes in the Haj Act were necessary.

The Haj affairs would be affected without such changes, he pointed out.The office of Central Haj Committee would continue to be situated in Mumbai and another office will also function at Delhi, he informed.

Chairmen of State Haj Committees and Wakf Ministers of various States, Vice-Chairmen of Central Haj Committee Allamdar Hassan Razvi and Rizwan Haris, MP Obedullah Khan Azmi and members of various State Haj committees were present on the occasion.