Govt probes bungling in Haj pilgrimage

In what could turn out to be an embarrassment for the pro-minority UPA regime,the government is quietly investigating into charges of corruption in the Haj pilgrimage from India last year....

In what could turn out to be an embarrassment for the pro-minority UPA regime,the government is quietly investigating into charges of corruption in the Haj pilgrimage from India last year. There are complaints of over 3,000 seats having been sold bypassing the official procedures to people wanting to go on pilgrimage. These 3,000-plus seats were created due to the last-minute cancellations by pilgrims.

Sources told The Indian Express that a high-level probe has been initiated after complaints reached the PMO,Ministry of External Affairs and Cabinet Secretariat and it is now being conducted by MEAs secretary (East) Latha Reddy.

What had rankled the establishment this time,the sources said,was that the role of the officials in the Haj Committee of India,based in Mumbai,was under the scanner.

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Despite repeated attempts,the Haj Committee of Indias Chief Executive Officer Mohammed Owais was not available for comments.

As per the convention,the last-minute cancellations of the pilgrims need to be filled by the wait-listed candidates. Instead of following the convention,there are complaints that these cancellations were sold at prices anywhere between Rs 25,000 and Rs 40,000.

The matter was first brought to light when complaints landed in the PMO,MEA and the Cabinet Secretariat in late December last year. The PMO is understood to have been quite exercised at the corruption charges in the government-subsidised scheme of Haj pilgrimage. The government gave subsidy to the tune of about Rs 500 crore for the Haj pilgrimage last year.

In the past,there have been allegations of corruption in the Haj pilgrimage,but they have pertained to private tour operators. However,this time,the allegations involve the government agency responsible for the pilgrimage arrangements.

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