SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir’s annual Hajj quota, which once saw demand far exceeding availability, has remained underutilised in recent years as the rising cost of pilgrimage has led to a sharp decline in applications from the Union Territory.
The J&K Hajj Committee received around 4,700 applications this year against its allotted quota of 7,983 seats, according to Dr Shujaat Ahmad Qureshi, Executive Officer of the committee.
“The process of receiving Hajj applications ended on July 20. We received 4,700 applications for Hajj this year,” Qureshi told TNIE.
He said the estimated cost of undertaking Hajj in 2027 would be around Rs 4.50 lakh, adding that the increase in expenses due to inflation was among the major reasons for the decline in applicants.
The fall in demand has been consistent over the past few years. In 2023, the committee received around 14,500 applications against a quota of 7,981 seats, and about 12,000 pilgrims from J&K performed Hajj after the UT sought nearly 4,000 additional seats from other states.
However, the number of applicants declined to around 7,000 in 2024, 3,700 in 2025, and 4,600 in 2026. This year, the figure remained at around 4,700 applications.
Qureshi said around 10% of applicants usually drop out during the process. He attributed the decline mainly to the rising cost of pilgrimage.
“The Hajj costs have escalated due to inflation and this has led to a drop in applications. Earlier, there used to be Hajj subsidy, but that has been ended by the central government,” he said.
The decline marks a major shift from previous years when the demand for Hajj seats in J&K consistently exceeded the available quota. Authorities had to conduct a draw of lots to select pilgrims due to the high number of applicants.
In 2017, the committee received 35,215 applications, followed by 32,330 applications in 2018 and 21,566 applications in 2019.
Residents said the trend reflected the economic challenges faced by people in the UT.
“Some years back, the number of applicants would exceed the quota, making a draw of lots necessary. Today, nearly half of the Hajj quota remains unfilled. It speaks volumes about the financial strain and reduced financial capacity of people,” said Mehraj-ud-Din, a local resident.