DHAKA, Feb 16, 2019 (BSS) – Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB)
today declared Taka 3,45,800 as minimum hajj package for 2019 under private
arrangement and also urged intending pilgrims not to make any financial
transaction with middlemen.
“We have fixed Taka 3,45,800 as minimum package for those who will perform
hajj this year under our arrangements and urging all pilgrims to deposit
money to agencies office or bank accounts, not to give any money to any other
people,” HAAB Secretary General M Shahadat Hossain Taslim told newsmen at a
press briefing.
HAAB organized the briefing, also addressed by its president Abdus Sobhan
Bhuiyan at a city hotel here to declare the hajj package.
Taslim said registration for the intending pilgrims under private
arrangements for this year will begin from February 19.
“Every pilgrim has to pay Taka 142,646 that includes Taka 128,000 as
airfare and Taka 14,645 as service charge and transport cost of Saudi
government during their registration,” he added.
He said all the hajjis must pay full amount of their package by March 20 to
perform hajj this year. “All pilgrims need to carry Taka 11,812 extra with
them for sacrificing animal during the hajj,” he added.
The hajj pilgrims who have already performed hajj between 2015 and 2018
need to pay Taka 47250 extra as per Saudi Arabia regulations, he added.
The HAAB leaders repeatedly urged the intending hajj pilgrims and their
relatives to make the payment directly to the hajj agencies offices or
agencies bank accounts and keep the money receipts with them.
“If anyone make payment to any middlemen and get into trouble, the hajj
agencies won’t take any responsibilities,” Taslim warned.
The HAAB leader said the provision of collecting police clearance for the
intending hajj pilgrims is cancelled this year to reduce harassment of the
hajjis.
The government has arranged training programme for all the hajjis in all 64
districts of the country. “Pilgrims can choose the training centers over
online as per their preferences,” he said.
Taslim said this year the Saudi government has increased their charge for
per pilgrims to 1817 Saudi Riyal that was 1089 in 2018.
Saudi authorities have increased the charges for hajj pilgrims of all
countries, no country could not be able to minimise the cost, he said.
The HAAB secretary general thanked the government to make a significant
reduction in airfare for the Hajj pilgrims of 2019. The state-run Biman
Bangladesh Airlines reduced the fare of Hajj flight to Taka 1,28,000 per
person from Taka 1,38,191 of last year.
The cabinet approved the National Hajj and Umrah Policy 2019 and the Hajj
Package, 2019 this year on Monday.
The government will send hajj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia under two packages.
The total cost of first package has been fixed at Taka 4, 18,516, including
airfare of Taka 1,28,000, while the cost of the second package will be Taka
3,44,000.
A total of 1, 27,198 pilgrims will perform hajj this year while 1, 20,000
will go under private management to perform hajj.