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Download PDF The government will not allow any hajj agencies to offer packages to aspirant hajj pilgrims if they do not sign an agreement with the government by April 30.
In order to stop irregularities in sending pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, the government will publish in newspapers a list of agencies authorised to offer hajj packages to pilgrims “so that people do not fall victim to dishonest hajj agencies”, officials of the religious affairs ministry said.
The ministry sent letters to 269 hajj agencies in March and asked them to sign the agreement form made in line with the National Hajj Policy amended last month.
“This time, we have made it clear that no agency will be allowed to offer any package unless it signed the agreement in due time,” Ataur Rahman, secretary to the religious affairs ministry, told The Daily Star yesterday.
Welcoming the move, Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (Haab) asked all the agencies to comply with the government directives.
According to the National Hajj Policy, a hajj agency must sign two agreements on non-judicial stamps. One agreement would be with the government and the other with individual aspirant hajj pilgrims which would specify the facilities to be provided by the agency.
Each agency would have to provide guidelines for the pilgrims and hold orientation sessions at the hajj camp in Dhaka before their pilgrimage.
Out of 324 Haab members, 269 received the government-prescribed agreement forms and were asked to sign the agreement by March 31, sources said. The ministry later pushed the date to April 30 following requests from the agencies.
Ataur Rahman said about 15 agencies have already signed the agreement.
The 75 agencies that did not receive the letters are accused of wrongdoings in the last hajj and they have also been served with show-cause notices. They were served with the notices in early March after a three-member probe committee submitted its report on completion of its investigation.
The hearing regarding this has been completed and the ministry will inform its decision by April 30, the religious affairs secretary said.
Ataur declined to reveal the content of the report. “I shall keep mum for the moment,” he said.
The possible penalties for the agencies include cancellation or suspension of their licences and fines.
“The agencies that would sign the agreement with the government and the pilgrims will not be able to deceive the hajis,” he said.
The ministry on March 16 declared the hajj package 2008 for aspirant ballotee and non-ballotee pilgrims who would be going through government approved hajj agencies. It also raised the price of the return tickets of the pilgrims to $1,350 from $1,250.
This year the total charge for each ballotee hajj pilgrim (government organised pilgrimage) ranges between Tk 1,99,240 and Tk 2,20,140 to be deposited by July 6. Duly filled in application forms have to be submitted to their respective deputy commissioner’s office by July 7.
Ataur estimated the number of hajj pilgrims would be 65,000 this year. Of them, 15,000 would make the pilgrimage under government arrangement, he added.
Law and Religious Affairs Adviser AF Hassan Ariff earlier said punitive measures would be taken against hajj agencies concerned in case of any breach of contract with the pilgrims.
The government earlier cancelled the licences of two agencies–Jebric Travels and Dulafakir Hajj Agency–in connection with irregularities and “causing sufferings to last year’s pilgrims”.
Such incidents happen almost every year due to the absence of exemplary punishment.
Even though Haab welcomed the government move, it asked the government to reduce the airfare.
“The hajj airfares from neighbouring countries are between $800 and $900 whereas the government has fixed the fare at $1,350 from Dhaka,” Eyaqub Sharafati, Haab secretary general, told The Daily Star yesterday.
He also asked the government to make a flat airfare for pilgrims from Bangladesh since pilgrims going to Saudi Arabia from Sylhet and Chittagong would have to pay $1,450.
June 30th, 2008 at 2:52 am
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Bangladesh Govt’ Appreved hajj Agency. Hajj Lisence No 062. 53 Purana Paltan, baitul Abat bhaban. Dhaka -1000