An estimated 1,20,000 Indian Muslims went on haj pilgrimage this year. Of this total, travel arrangements for 72,000 pilgrims were made by the Haj Committee – constituted under the Act of Parliament No. 51 of 1959 –, while the remaining opted for private travel agencies — well over a hundred private travel agencies offer haj tour packages. The government of India’s airfare subsidy is available only for hajis travelling through the Haj Committee. Incidentally, every haji who travels through the Haj Committee gets the benefit of highly subsidised airfare, no matter how rich he or she might be.
The major expenses involved in haj pilgrimage include airfare, food and accommodation in Mecca and Medina, compulsory dues payable to Saudi authorities and local travel in Saudi Arabia. The haj committee offers three different packages (Category I, II and III) depending on the type of accomodation a haji chooses — the nearer the accomodation is to Kaaba, the higher the accomodation charges.
Private travel agencies, too, offer 3–4 different packages along similar criteria.
The Mumbai–based Atlas Travel is one of the major haj tour operators in the country. Afzal Patel, the proprietor of Atlas Travel) told CC that for the recently completed haj, Atlas Travel offered a package tour costing Rs.85,000 (category I, the most expensive) and Rs.67,500 (category IV, the cheapest). Another, Asian Tours & Travels, offered an even cheaper package — from Rs.64,000 for the tourist class (cheapest) to Rs.88,000 for the super deluxe class. The packages are for a 40–42 days tour.
In comparison, the expenses incurred for the year 2001 by pilgrims traveling via the Haj Committee were Rs.82,295 for category I and Rs.72,143 for category III. In addition to this, the government paid Rs.20,000 per haji towards airfare. Taken together, the Haj Committee’s package for the pilgrims amounts to Rs.1,02,295 for category I and Rs.92,143).
Why then should an aspiring haji (category III package) pay Rs.72,143 in all to the Haj Committee and be obligated to the government of India for an additional Rs.20,000 when he need pay only Rs.64,000 (Rs.8,143 less) to Atlas Travel and not be obligated to the government of India even to the extent of a single rupee? Specially, considering that in the views of the ulema of Saudi Arabia, of the judiciary from the Islamic state of Pakistan and a very large section of Indian Muslims (ulema, scholars and intellectuals included), a sarkar subsidised haj may not be acceptable to Allah?
From the individual haji’s point of view, travelling through the Haj Committee has its side benefit because of the different nature of the packages offered by the Haj Committee and private tour operators. Like other tour packages, private travel agencies for haj, too, offer an all expenses covered point–to–point service. So, all that a haji opting for a private travel agency has to do is to report at an Indian airport on the scheduled departure time. From then until his return flight lands in India, everything — airfare, accommodation, food, compulsory dues to Saudi authorities, local travel is taken care of by the travel agency.
The Haj Committee package, on the other hand, works differently. This is how the break–up of Rs. 72,143 (cheapest package) worked out in the current haj season:
Out of the total amount, Rs.12,000 was deducted by the Haj Committee towards the subsidised airfare and Rs.500 towards service charges. The balance Rs.59,643 went towards purchase of foreign exchange worth 4,700 Saudi riyals (@ Rs.12.69 for one SRL). From this, the Haj Committee held back SRL 1,059 towards dues to be paid to Saudi authorities, SRL 1,200 for accommodation in Mecca and SRL 200 for accommodation in Medina. The balance amount of SRL 2,241 is handed back to the individual pilgrim. Out of this he has to spend SRL 300 for the sacrificial animal during Haj, leaving him or her with SRL 1,921 to pay for two–way Mecca–Medina travel and food expenses for around 40 days. Eating out, according to those who have been to Saudi Arabia, is quite cheap but most hajis from the lower income categories prefer to cook their own food which cuts costs even further. Because of this and depending on how long the haji stays in Saudi Arabia, at the end of the haj, he or she could be left with unused Saudi riyals which could be used for shopping in Saudi Arabia or to bring back to India and reconvert to local currency. Those familiar with haj pilgrimage claim it is not difficult to save up to SRL 800-1,000 if one chooses to live very frugally while in Saudi Arabia. Converted back into Indian rupees on return means, a haji travelling through the Haj Committee can return to India with around Rs.10,000.
Even when this amount is subtracted from the initial Rs. 72,143 paid to the Haj Committee, it means that the haji would effectively have paid Rs.62,143 to the Haj Committee as against the Rs.64,000 he would have paid to Asian Tours & Travels. In short, hardly any difference, not counting the fact that in case of opting for the privately organised tour, the haji has no worry whatsoever about the bother of purchases, cooking etc. for 40 days.
If the strongest argument for subsidised airfare rests on the ability of the poorer Muslims’ dream of haj, the above example shows up the fallacy of the argument. In short, this means that there is no rational argument whatsoever to support the claim for subsidy in case of the poorest amongst those going for (who in any case do manage to put together nothing short of Rs.60,000-70,000, no small amount by Indian standards). As for those who can pay the charges for more expensive packages, there is even less justification.
Archived from Communalism Combat, March 2001 Year 8 No. 67, Cover Story 2