The federal government feels the ocean route will assist minimize down journey bills for Haj pilgrimage. (File photograph)
The Muslims, nonetheless, will proceed to have the choice of travelling to their holiest web site by air from 21 embarkation factors within the nation, together with Delhi and Mumbai, the sources stated.
One other characteristic of the coverage is to restrict the pilgrimage to once-in-a-lifetime affair, they stated, including the federal government will come out with the coverage this week.
“It’s in keeping with the apex court docket’s order and revives the choice of sending pilgrims through ships to Saudi Arabia as it’s a cheaper but snug possibility,” a supply stated.
The observe of ferrying the pilgrims by waterways was discontinued in 1995 on account of MV Akbari, the ship which used to move them, rising previous, the supply stated.
The sources stated a contemporary ship can ferry four,000 to five,000 passengers at a time and canopy the 2300-odd nautical miles distance between the 2 cities in two-three days.Earlier than the ocean route was closed, it used to take practically every week for the pilgrims to achieve Jeddah from the Yellow Gate in Mumbai’s Mazgaon, the supply added.
On the concept of limiting the pilgrimage to as soon as in a lifetime, one other supply added it’s to make sure that all desirous individuals get a good probability to undertake the journey.
