Srinagar: The Jammu & Kashmir Civil Society Forum (JKCSF) on Wednesday raised serious concerns over the sharp disparity in airfare for Haj pilgrims from Srinagar, calling it an unjust financial burden.
The Forum Chairman Abdul Qayoom Wani urged the government to intervene and ensure uniform pricing for all embarkation points.
Over the last few years, Jammu and Kashmir has seen a sharp decline in Haj applications. This year, only 4,100 applications were received against the allotted 7,900 seats. In the final lot, only 3,600 people from J&K made the payment for this year’s Haj.
In a statement, JKCSF said that the airfare from Srinagar to Jeddah/Madina has been set at Rs 1,66,811, significantly higher than Rs 92,054 from Delhi and Rs 83,109 from Mumbai. Even after factoring in the cost of a domestic flight from Srinagar to these cities, the additional burden on Kashmiri pilgrims remains substantial— Rs 64,857 in the case of Delhi and Rs 71,702 for Mumbai.
“This disparity is glaring and unfair. Why should Kashmiri pilgrims be forced to pay such exorbitant rates? The government must explain this,” JKCSF Chairman Wani said.
He questioned whether the airfare structure follows a uniform bidding process and why Srinagar is disproportionately affected.
JKCSF has appealed to Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to take up the issue with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Ministry of Minority Affairs, and the Haj Committee of India. They have also called for a review of the bidding system to eliminate regional disparities in ticket pricing.
