Home ›› 27 Apr 2023 ›› Front
Bangladesh has failed to meet its Hajj quota for this year even after offering over half a dozen registration deadline exten-sions and a one-day special opportunity.
Some 3,500 quota has remained vacant as the door for registration closed on Tuesday, State Minister for Religious Affairs Md Faridul Haque Khan told the media on Wednesday. A steep rise in expense is the prime reason for the vacant quotas.
However, the state minister said failure to fulfill the quotas will not impact next year’s quota for Hajj.
“The Hajj registration period will not be extended,” he said after the inauguration of the mobile app ‘e-Hajj BD’ and ‘Hajj and Umrah Guide Publication’ at the secretariat.
The first Hajj flight will start on May 21, the state minister said. This year’s hajj is expected to take place on June 27 subject to moon sighting.
According to an agreement with Saudi Arabia, a total of 1,27,198 people from Bangladesh were given the opportunity to perform Hajj this year. Out of this, 15,000 people will get the opportunity to perform hajj under government management and remaining 1,12,198 people under private management.
Hajj registration started on February 8. However, following poor response from aspirant hajis, the government extended the registration deadline eight times but still failed to fulfill the quota. Finally, authorities offered a special opportunity of registration on Tuesday. But the response still fell short.
According to sources, a total of 1,20,491 people has been registered for the holy pilgrimage to the Kabaa in Mecca of Saudi Arabia this year. Quota of 6,707 people is left to be fulfilled. However, excluding those involved in hajj management, the quota of 3,500 will remain vacant.
Meanwhile, Faridul Haque said there is no plan to reduce the cost of hajj.
“Next year, we will think about whether the cost can be reduced by renting a house a little away.”
Also speaking on the occasion, Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) President M Shahadat Hossain Taslim said, “This time, the private quota for hajj is 1,12,198 people. So far 100,000 have been registered. Although it seems the quota has not been fulfilled, that is not the case. Including our guides and Monazzems, the quota has been fulfilled in the private sector.”
