| The Ministry of Religious Affairs on Wednesday finalised its draft roadmap of Hajj management of Bangladeshis for the next year. The Ministry, however, did not evaluate the reports of irregularities, faults and sufferings of the Bangladeshi Hajis this year the due to mismanagement by the Hajj officials and Hajj agencies. According to the roadmap, Hajj registration process for the Bangladeshi pilgrims for 2024 would begin from September 16, 2023. The registration process would be completed within February and issuance of pilgrims’ visas would start from March, 2024. After completion of all procedures, the Hajj flights would start from May 9, 2024, according to a press release of the Ministry. The release signed by the ministry’s Public Relation Officer Asif Ahmed said that the roadmap was finalised at an inter-ministerial Hajj management preparatory meeting held in the Religious Affairs Ministry’s meeting room in the Secretariat chaired by the ministry’s Secretary Muhammad Abdul Hamid Jamaddar. Representatives from the stakeholders related to Hajj management including ministry’s Additional Secretary Motiul Alam, Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) President M Shahadat Hossain Taslim, Secretary General Faruk Ahmed Bhuiyan, Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Hajj Office of Ashkona, Bangladesh’s Hajj Counselor at Saudi Arabia and others concerned attended the meeting. In the meeting, Secretary Hamid Jamaddar informed that though Bangladesh couldn’t fulfill the quota of pilgrims in 2023, the Saudi Authorities allocated a quota of 127,198 pilgrims from Bangladesh for 2024. Bangladesh would try to fill the quota smoothly on time. He also informed that the government will announce the Hajj package. But, it would be delayed as the package can only be finalissed when the Saudi authorities fixes the service charges of Mina, Arafah and Muzdalifah for performing Hajj, he observed. |
