New Delhi: As COVID-19 cases are on the rise, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday directed all the state Haj committees to assist the respective state governments in utilizing Haj houses as temporary 'COVID care centres'.
"All the state Haj committees have been directed to assist the respective state governments/administrations to utilize the Haj houses as temporary COVID care centres for health and well-being of the people in the fight against the pandemic," Naqvi said.
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A circular undersigned by Maqsood Ahmed Khan, CEO, Haj Committee of India, stated, "Considering the nationwide spread of COVID-19 and a possible contribution of Haj Committee of India/State Haj Committees, Hon'ble Minister for Minority Affairs, Mr. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, has reviewed the status of the use of Haj Houses across India and instructed to help State Governments in creating temporary COVID Care Centres at Haj Houses at different locations (sic).''
Khan said the Haj houses, which are located independently in isolated buildings, can be used as COVID care centres. He urged the executive officers to take initiative and extend all possible support to the respective state governments in establishing these centres.
The 16 state Haj committee houses that will be given to the state governments for the purpose are located in Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Bengaluru (Karnataka), Calicut (Kerala), Delhi, Hyderabad (Telangana), Kolkata (West Bengal), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), (Lucknow and Ghaziabad) Uttar Pradesh, Nagpur (Maharashtra), Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Jaipur (Rajasthan), Patna (Bihar), Ranchi (Jharkhand) and Agartala (Tripura).
