Senior haj pilgrims allege smartwatches are non-functional

Mangaluru: Several pilgrims have raised concerns over the functionality of the Haj Suvidha smartwatches distributed by the Haj Committee of India for Haj 2026. Introduced as a safety and coordination measure to help pilgrims with navigation, real-time location tracking and emergency assistance, the devices are now drawing complaints from users, who allege that many watches fail to switch on, do not hold charge and are not functioning as promised, raising questions over the effectiveness of the initiative. The watch costs Rs 7,000.

Imran AK, a volunteer coordinating with pilgrims from Dakshina Kannada, said around 1,700 haj pilgrims from the district left for Saudi Arabia a few weeks ago. He said many elderly pilgrims initially welcomed the watches, expecting them to help with navigation and safety, but later stopped wearing them after finding them ineffective. “The elderly were happy about getting smartwatches. However, their happiness was short lived after they noticed that watches did not serve the purpose, and many have stopped using them,” he said, adding that pilgrims paid a significant amount for the device.

According to Imran, the smartwatch was added this year to the standard haj kit, which typically includes passport stickers, luggage tags, boarding passes, and ID cards. The GPS watch was presented as a safety enhancement, he said.

However, a senior functionary of the Central Haj Committee said the watches were working properly for many users and suggested that some complaints could be linked to difficulties among elderly pilgrims in operating the devices. The official said several pilgrims were satisfied with the initiative.