Jammu Tawi, Feb. 26 -- The Jammu & Kashmir Civil Society Forum (JKCSF) on Wednesday raised serious concerns over the sharp disparity in airfare for Haj pilgrims from Srinagar, calling it an unjust financial burden. The Forum Chairman Abdul Qayoom Wani urged the government to intervene and ensure uniform pricing for all embarkation points.

Over the last few years, Jammu and Kashmir has seen a sharp decline in Haj applications. This year, only 4,100 applications were received against the allotted 7,900 seats. In the final lot, only 3,600 people from J&K made the payment for this year's Haj.

In a statement, JKCSF said that the airfare from Srinagar to Jeddah/Madina has been set at Rs 1,66,811, significantly higher than Rs 92,054 from Delhi...