NASHIK: The demand for a mini house in Nashik as the main hub of North Maharashtra for Haj pilgrimage, and for Nashik to be included in the list of Haj terminals instead of Mumbai, has been met with success. While meeting Union Minister Naqvi, MP Hemant Godse said that the Central government was positive about the demand.
During the current monsoon session of Parliament, MP Godse called on Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Naqvi and demanded that Nashik airport be included in the list of Haj terminals as soon as possible to provide justice to Haj pilgrims from North Maharashtra. Haj is a holy pilgrimage for Muslims.
Muslim brethren strives to go on the pilgrimage. About 12 to 15 thousand Muslims from Nashik, Dhule, Jalgaon, Ahmednagar and Nandurbar districts of North Maharashtra go for Haj every year. Although the process is done online by the state government, Haj pilgrims have to travel to Mumbai three to four times to complete the paperwork. After completing the paperwork, devotees have to leave Mumbai airport for Haj.
As MP Godse’s demand is judicial, his demand has been taken up by Minorities Minister Nawab Malik and Minority Affairs Secretary Jayashree Mukherjee. Last year, about fifteen thousand devotees from all over the state had gone for Haj pilgrimage. It has come to light that 3,000 of these devotees were from North Maharashtra alone. From this, it is clear that the number of devotees going for Hajj from North Maharashtra is large.
The state government has recommended the inclusion of Nashik airport in the list of Haj terminals as the pilgrims have to travel to and from Mumbai to perform the Haj pilgrimage. Due to MP Godse’s continuous pursuit, these positive developments regarding the Haj pilgrimage has created an atmosphere of hope among the Muslim brethren in North Maharashtra.
