Ex-Haj functionaries angry at closure of IAS coaching centre in Mumbai

Mohammed Wajihuddin / TNN / Updated: Jul 31, 2024, 13:45 IST

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Community leaders and former officials demanded the reopening of a free IAS coaching center for Muslim aspirants at Haj House, Mumbai, suspended last year. The Haj Committee, funding the center since 2009, had redirected its funds to community development. Approximately 25 candidates coached here have passed Civil Services exams, with 150 joining other government services.

Ex-Haj functionaries angry at closure of IAS coaching centre in Mumbai

Community leaders and former officials demanded the reopening of an IAS coaching center for Muslim aspirants at Haj House, Mumbai.

MUMBAI: Outraged at the ‘temporary closure’ of the residential coaching centre for Muslim IAS aspirants at the Haj House in the city, a former CEO of the Haj Committee of India, former members of the Haj Committee, and other community leaders have demanded its reopening at the earliest.
The Haj Committee, which has run the free residential coaching centre for UPSC aspirants from the community since 2009, has put its activities on hold.The coaching is funded by donations the Haj Committee receives from Hajis.
Leyaqat Ali Afaqui, an IRS officer who has an additional charge of the Haj Committee’s CEO, told TOI: “It has been suspended since last year. We will restart it soon.” A source said that the coaching programme was not halted by the Haj Committee, but it got discontinued following a decision at a meeting of the chairpersons of state Haj Committees headed by a central minister. It was decided to discontinue the coaching programme and direct the funds to community development.
Retired IRTS Mohammed Owais, who, as the Haj Committee’s CEO, started the IAS coaching centre in 2009, regretted that such a good programme has been put on hold. “The whole idea was to utilise a little chunk of the huge corpus the Haj Committee has,” said Owais.

So far, around 25 candidates coached at Haj House have qualified for the Civil Services exams, while around 150 have joined provincial and other govt services.
Yusuf Abrahni, a former member of the Haj Committee, said, “It was the community’s money which ran this coaching centre. The Haj Committee was only a facilitator. It must be reopened soon.”

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