100 Haj pilgrims stuck as tour operators squabble

More than 100 Haj pilgrims from Marathawada region scheduled to return from Jeddah on Sunday were stuck in the holy city of Medina after alleged differences between two tour operators led to the cancellation of the journey.

A group of 102 pilgrims from Solapur, Latur, Beed, Osamanabad region had travelled on pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina from Mumbai last month and were given a return ticket to Mumbai on an Oman Air Jeddah-Muscat-Mumbai flight. But, when Mirror contacted them, they were stuck in a Medina hotel without proper arrangements.

Shaikh Qayyum, one of the pilgrims, blamed the tour operator Aseel Tours and Travels for the mess. "Aseel Tours and Travel took Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000 from each of us for this pilgrimage, and their arrangements were horrible. They did not provide us proper accommodation or meals. There are a lot of elderly people with us, and because we are spending money from our own pocket, we fear our money will get over soon," Qayyum alleged.


He said the tour operator told them that they will travel on a direct Mumbai-Jeddah flight, but on October 19, they were put on an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Addis Ababa where after a 10-hour wait, they were taken to Jeddah. "We travelled to Mecca and stayed there for seven days at Tamim Hijaz hotel. Then we arrived in Medina six days ago and were scheduled to return today (Sunday) by an Oman Air flight. When we called Oman Air, they said no one was booked on the flight. Our visa will get over by November 8, and we are really worried how we will get out of here," said Qayyum.

He said they had lodged a complaint with the Indian consulate in Oman. "The consulate had phoned us yesterday and took all details, but they haven't got back. We hope they help us. Because, Aseel Tours and Travels people are not responding when we are trying to reach them," he said.

When contacted, Mir Irshad Ali, one of the directors of Aseel Tours and Travels said "We are really sorry about this. We regularly send people on Haj and Umra. Due to a payment dispute, our agent did not confirm the return ticket for November 4, creating this problem. But, we will sort this out, and get them back on November 6 and 7. We have informed the hotel in Medina to extend their stay also."

Ali said the Indian pilgrims are not used to the food in Mecca-Medina region, and the tour operators have to make separate arrangements for their food. "We routinely do these arrangements, but I do not know what's wrong this time. I have assured them that they will be fully reimbursed for their expenses when they return to Mumbai," he said after Mumbai Mirror raised questions.

Mumbai Mirror tried to reach the Indian authorities in Oman including Consul, Haj, Mohammed Shahid Alam, Consul General Mohammed Noor Rehman Shaikh, and Indian ambassador in Jeddah Ahmed Javed, but they were not available for comment.

"Private tour operators take poor pilgrims for ziyarat, Haj, and umra tours on low-budget tours without proper arrangements, leading to problems of food and accommodation. They are not licensed," said a Haj travel industry.