NEW DELHI: When a sudden airfare hike of Rs 10,000 per pilgrim was announced in late April, it set off a wider debate over what India’s Haj pilgrims were actually paying for-and one line item that came under immediate scrutiny was a Rs 7,000 deduction for a GPS-enabled smartwatch that each of the 1.2 lakh pilgrims had been mandated to carry. The smartwatch, procured by the Haj Committee of India and supplied by Delhi-based firm Sekyo Innovations, was positioned as a safety measure. But pilgrims who have since departed say the device is not turning on, not holding charge, and not “actually tracking” anyone. The ‘Haj Suvidha Smartwatch’ is a required safety device for Indian pilgrims this year. The decision, implemented by the Haj Committee of India, was centred around pilgrim safety, but has triggered questions over cost, execution and necessity. Each pilgrim has effectively paid Rs 7,000 for the device, deducted from their Haj deposit-one of seven main cost heads in the standard Haj package including meals, accommodation, and conveyance. For families already bearing a total outlay that can exceed Rs 4 lakh per person, and reeling from a sudden Rs 10,000-per-head airfare hike announced in late April, the watch has become a flashpoint. The watches were procured through a fast-tracked tender process in 2025.More than 1.2 lakh devices were ordered. Sekyo Innovations, a Delhi-based firm, operates on a hybrid model – designing and assembling the watches in India while sourcing critical high-tech components, including GPS modules, sensors and chipsets, from Hong Kong, China and Canada. According to members of the Delhi State Haj Committee, the smartwatch is included in the Haj kit distributed to pilgrims before departure: “Every year, some changes are made. The departure kit typically contains passport stickers, luggage tags, boarding passes, ID cards, and now, for the first time, a GPS-enabled watch,” a member told TOI. Haj is one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, with millions congregating in and around Mecca. Managing crowds, preventing stampedes and ensuring no pilgrim is lost are longstanding challenges. This year, 1.7-1.9 million people are expected to participate. Unlike India, other major Haj-sending countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan rely instead on traditional group management systems and mobile-based coordination. The rollout of the smartwatch that was designed to track Indian pilgrims and provide emergency assistance has been far from smooth. Usman Ansari, a pilgrim from Old Delhi, told TOI that many of the travellers – particularly elderly and less tech-savvy individuals – are struggling to use the device. “They told us the watch would be activated in Saudi Arabia, but most people don’t know how to operate it.“… Around 70% haven’t even been able to switch it on because some update or the other is required,” he added.