Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), Dakshina Kannada unit, has demanded restoration of embarking facility for Haj pilgrims of the region at Mangaluru International Airport.
Addressing reporters in Mangaluru on March 30, SDPI district president Anwar Sadat said the government of Karnataka should complete construction of a Haj Bhavan in Mangaluru at the earliest.
Mr. Sadat said, on an average, 1,300 pilgrims from Dakshina Kannada embark on Haj pilgrimage every year. The pilgrims were taking flights from Mangaluru International Airport. Post-covid, pilgrims have been forced to leave for Bengaluru a day in advance, and embark on the pilgrimage from Bengaluru airport. The State Government should prevail upon the Central Government to restore embarking facility from Mangaluru airport. Apart from pilgrims from Dakshina Kannada, the facility will help pilgrims from neighbouring Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Madikeri, and Kasaragod districts, he added.
Mr. Sadat said construction of a Haj Bhavan for pilgrims has been pending for a long a time. The ₹10 crore set apart in the budget by the State Government has remained un-utilised. He said two years ago, Inayath Ali, a builder and Congress candidate from Mangaluru North Assembly constituency in the 2023 Assembly elections, offered his family property at Kenjar for construction of a Haj Bhavan. But so far, construction has not been taken up.
