HAAB announces Hajj package of Tk4,63,744

The Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) has announced its general Hajj pilgrimage package of Tk4,63,744 for this year.

The HAAB announced this Hajj package as a private arrangement at a press briefing in a hotel of the capital city on Thursday.

But the cost for sacrificing animals was not included in the package. Every pilgrim has to spend an extra Tk19,683 for sacrificing animals in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, M Shahadat Hossain Taslim, Secretary General of the HAAB told the breifing.

He said the total airfare had been set at Tk1,40,000, house rent at Tk1,58,056, service and domestic transport in Saudi Arabia at Tk42,635 while the remaining would be added for other charges accordingly. Shahadat Hossain said the residential arrangement will be made 1000 to 1500 metre away from Masjid al-Haram ground, the mosque that surrounds the Kaaba in Mecca, for Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims.

He also mentioned that the money for the Hajj package to be deposited by May 18. On Wednesday State Minister for Religious Affairs Md Faridul Haque Khan announced three Hajj packages.

He said the government’s package-1 plan would cost Tk5,27,340, package-2 would cost Tk 4,62,150, while Tk 4,56,530 had been proposed for the private Hajj package.

Flights will carry Bangladeshi pilgrims to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj on May 31, according to the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry. Shahadat HossainTaslim told The Business Post they had requested the Religious Affairs Ministry and the Ministry of Civil Aviation to fix the Hajj fare at Tk 1.25 lakh to make it affordable for the pilgrims.

However, the government did not play any role in regulating airfare and other expenditures.

This year, the government has fixed the fare for the round trip at Tk1.4 lakh.

Airfare is a bit higher due to the increase in fuel prices but the government has set a reasonable price for Hajj pilgrims, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mahbub Ali has recently told the media at a meeting on Hajj management at the secretariat.

Over the last two years, the biggest annual congregation of the Muslims has been held on a very limited scale with no one allowed to perform Hajj from outside Saudi Arabia.

In 2019, a total of 1.27 lakh Bangladeshis were allowed to perform Hajj and the airfare was Tk 1.28 lakh.

This year, a total of 57,856 pilgrims will be able to perform Hajj from Bangladesh.

Biman Bangladeshi Airlines will carry 31,000 pilgrims through 75 dedicated flights, while Saudi Arabian airlines will carry the rest of the passengers.

Earlier, Saudi Arabia raised the number of Hajj pilgrims from inside and outside the kingdom to one million in 2022, the authorities announced in a statement on April 9.

Hajj is open to those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and are under the age of 65, added the statement.