Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav inaugurated the building of the Ala Hazrat Haj House in Ghaziabad on Monday. The seven-storied building, meant to serve as a transit-cum-facilitation point for Haj pilgrims from various parts of the State, has been constructed off the GT Road on the banks of River Hindon in Ghaziabad.
Speaking on the occasion, Akhilesh said the building will also be used to impart coaching and training facilities for various employment opportunities to meritorious and poor students.
“The building will be used for the benefits of Haj pilgrims for little more than a month every year. For the rest of the year, we are planning to use the building for a coaching centre in view of the future generations in the State. The building can house 10, 000 people at a time. The VISA facilities, passport services, medical assistance and air ticketing facilities would be provided inside the building,” said Akhilesh.
The Chief Minister, who was accompanied to Ghaziabad by State Urban Development Minister Azam Khan, used the occasion to take a dig at the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre in view of the impending State Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh in less than a year.
Akhilesh addressed a public meeting near the Haj House, soon after inaugurating the building with the push of a button. “We have undertaken several development works, including the metro and the elevated road in Ghaziabad, in the last four years.
“Tell me of one significant or important development work done by the BJP in Ghaziabad in the two-and-a-half years that it has been in power,” Akhilesh said in the meeting.
The Chief Minister also distributed free laptops to 413 meritorious students of the district on the occasion, apart from providing certificates to beneficiaries of the Samajwadi Pension Scheme. Akhilesh had arrived by air from lucknow to Ghaziabad. He travelled by road to the Haj House from the Hindon Air Base where his aircraft landed.
A huge traffic jam was witnessed on GT Road owing to rush for the function as well as due to the numerous route diversions put in place by the Ghaziabad traffic police. Ghaziabad district administration and district police had made elaborate security and other arrangements for the function.