Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Nov 14: The flight carrying first batch of Haj pilgrims who had left from here, landed 19 hours behind schedule. The flight touched down at 7.15 am on Sunday November 13.
The flight was expected to reach the local airport at 12.10 pm on Saturday. It brought 160 pilgrims. President of Karnataka State Haj Committee, S Mohammed Ghouse Basha Ashrafi and Haj executive committee president, Yenepoya Mohammed Kunhi, attributed the delay to problems faced at Jeddah airport and flight schedules which went haywire on account of large number of flights there.
They also complained that the pilgrims, who were compelled to spend nearly a day in freezing temperatures at Jeddah, were not provided with any facility, nor was proper food provided to them.