Hyderabad: The Haj and Umrah Tours Organisers’ Association, Hyderabad, has appealed to aspiring Haj pilgrims to be cautious about booking their travel with private tour operators (PTOs).
Association general secretary Abdul Razzak Qamar said the state had been allotted 2,665 seats, 1,665 under Category 1. The AP quota stood at 546 of whom 196 were in Category 1.
The minorities affairs ministry issues one licence every year with one-year validity to eligible PTOs. Category 1 refers to private Haj tour operators who have more than seven registrations of Haj licences while those with less are listed under Category 2.
Under Category 1, TS has 17 PTOs with a quota of 98 pilgrims. In Category 2 there are 20 PTOs, each with a quota of 50 pilgrims.
The association warned aspiring pilgrims to verify the authenticity of their tour operator by demanding their operating licence certificate, which is issued by the ministry of minority affairs and is renewed annually
Pilgrims can check the list of genuine PTOs on the website of the minority affairs ministry. “Pilgrims must be very cautious about fraudsters and illegal tour operators,” he said.
