Although the schedule and fare of Hajj flights have been fixed, other activities have not been completed yet.
Hajj agencies are skeptical about whether Hajj flights will be launched at the right time, especially since the Hajj package has not been announced.
This year (2022) Hajj will be held on 9th July (subject to moon sighting). There are only two months left. But in previous years, the agencies used to have an average of seven months to eight months for Hajj activities and management.
A number of top leaders of the Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) said that it was not possible to complete all the activities of Hajj within the stipulated time.
They said it is almost impossible to start flights before June 15 as the Hajj package has not been announced yet. Besides, there is a lot of work to be done including fixing the number of registered passengers, determining the lead agency, renting a house, fixing food, vehicles and others.
HAAB president M Shahadat Taslim told Bangladesh Post, “We are continuously having meetings with the ministry and others to reach a fruitful decision. But if the process is delayed we fear we will have to face an untoward situation.”
“I sent a letter to the religious affairs ministry on April 27 to take immediate actions regarding hajj management. Otherwise, due to lack of time, it would become challenging to complete the Hajj management on time this year.”
According to a responsible source, the Ministry of Religious affairs had not received the account of various expenses including house rent, food and transportation in Saudi Arabia till May 5 to announce the Hajj package.
According to the agreement, the Saudi government has allowed 57,585 people from Bangladesh to perform the holy Hajj this year. Of these, 4,000 will get the opportunity of Hajj under government management and 53,585 under private management. This year, the airfare for Hajj pilgrims has been fixed at Tk 1.40 lakh. 50 percent of the total pilgrims will be transported by Biman Bangladesh and the remaining 50 percent by Saudi Airlines.
Meanwhile, existing registered pilgrims who are over 65 years of age will not be able to perform hajj due to the restriction from the Saudi Government. However, family members of such registered persons can go for Hajj instead. For this pre-registration has to be completed. Pre-registration last date is May 10.
It is to be noted that due to the outbreak of the pandemic, pilgrims from outside of Saudi Arabia were not allowed to perform hajj for the last two years. Saudi Arabia lifted the ban in early April. At the same time, 1 million pilgrims will be allowed to enter Saudi Arabia this year.
