SDPI Urges Immediate Construction of Haj Bhavan in Mangaluru, Raises Concern Over Delays
Party questions inaction despite land and funds, calls for restoration of direct Haj flights
Mangaluru: The Social Democratic Party of India has called for the immediate construction of a Haj Bhavan in Mangaluru, expressing concern over delays despite land and funds being available.
Addressing a press conference, District President Anwar Sadat highlighted the challenges faced by Haj pilgrims from the region. He urged authorities to speed up the project and also demanded the resumption of direct flight services for pilgrims from Mangaluru International Airport.
According to Sadat, around 1.7 lakh pilgrims travel from India for Haj each year, including nearly 7,000 from Karnataka. Of these, about 1,300 are from Dakshina Kannada district. In the absence of a Haj Bhavan in Mangaluru and direct flight services, pilgrims are forced to travel to Bengaluru and stay there for several days before departure, causing inconvenience, especially for elderly travellers.
He stated that a budget allocation of Rs 10 crore for the Haj Bhavan was announced several years ago. However, the project has not moved forward due to what he described as negligence by the district administration and elected representatives. A 3.5 acre site has already been identified near Mudipu and Kenjar in Bajpe, and land has also been donated by a local resident for the project. Despite this, the tender process has reportedly not begun even after more than a year and a half.
Sadat also pointed out that direct Haj flights from Mangaluru were available until the COVID 19 period but were later discontinued. Authorities have cited a lack of infrastructure as the reason, which he questioned, noting that such issues were not raised in the past decade.
He added that the region has adequate facilities, including mosques, community halls and hotels, to support pilgrims. Nearby districts such as Udupi and Kasaragod could also benefit, potentially serving 3,000 to 4,000 travellers.
Reiterating his demand, Sadat urged the government to take immediate steps to construct a fully equipped Haj Bhavan and restore direct flight services from Mangaluru to ease the journey for pilgrims.
