Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], April 25 : Congress' Kerala president K Sudhakaran on Monday asked Union Minority Affairs Minister Smriti Ir to waive off submission of passports for NRIs selected for this year's Hajj pilgrimage through the government quota.
Sudhakaran said the prevailing procedure makes it mandatory for all pilgrims to submit their original passports to the Hajj committee when visa stamping on passports is no longer required due to the e-visa facility.
The unnecessary passport submission is causing significant inconvenience to NRI pilgrims, the Congress leader noted.
As most of the pilgrims have already paid the first instalment, they would have to take a leave of 60-70 days for Hajj instead of the 40-day period, including for early passport submission, which might risk their job security, Sudhakaran noted.
He urged the Centre to extend the last date for passport submission or waive the submission method, considering the availability of e-visa availability, for the benefit of NRI pilgrims.
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