HYDERABAD: Around 250 people queued up at the Haj house in Nampally on Thursday as the AP State Haj Committee began the issue of application forms for Haj- 2012. Prof SA Shukoor, executive officer, Haj Committee, gave away the first five forms to applicants.
Giving details about requirements and procedures, officials said applications will be issued and accepted till April 16 from 11 am- 4 pm. Pilgrims are also required to submit a self-attested copy of the international passport at the time of submission of forms.
Each form has to be accompanied with an address proof, copy of passport, photo and `200 bank challan, credited to account no 32175017712 in SBI branches. Passports must be valid up to March 31, 2013.
Talking about changes in this year’s pilgrimage, Prof Shukoor said, “There is a reserved category for candidates whose applications were rejected three times and those who are aged 70 years and above.
“There is also an infant category for children below two years.”
Each pilgrim is required to furnish medical screening and fitness certificate printed on the form duly certified by any registered medical practitioner, he added.
Last year, more than 8,000 pilgrims undertaken the Haj pilgrimage from Hyderabad.
Candidates would be selected through a lottery system on May 10 and the selected Hajis need to pay Rs51,000 as the first instalment before June 11 and the rest by July 19. T
hey would be given classes regarding rules, restrictions and formalities during the pilgrimage later.
Applications can also be downloaded from www.hajcommittee.com. Call 040-23298793 for more details and clarifications.