DHAKA: Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) is not agreed to pay plane fare while depositing Muallem fee in government exchequer for the registration of hajj pilgrims.
If the government creates pressure to pay the plane fare during registration, the HAAB will refrain from carrying out all hajj related activities this year. It will even compel them to surrender their licenses.
Expressing concern over the government decision, HAAB president Mohammad Ibrahim Bahar issued this note of warning in a press conference on Dhaka Reporter Unity (DRU) premises Thursday morning.
Ibrahim Bahar informed the media that as a subject to the sight of moon, the hajj will be held this year on September 22. The Saudi government has already expressed its plan to hold this year’s hajj as ‘e-hajj’ and directed to make registrations on online from January of 2015 and making necessary agreements.
Recently, it was decided in a cabinet meeting to fix the minimum hajj package for each pilgrim Tk 196,206. It was also directed to deposit Taka 120,000 to the government treasury as plane fare along with the Muallem fee.
HAAB claimed that if it is implemented then the whole hajj management will fall in jeopardy. Most hajj intenders are not in a position to deposit such a big amount of money at a time. This will be brought to the notice of the Prime Minister and to the religious affairs ministry in writing.
The organization’s president said that this decision was taken on last January 19 in the cabinet meeting for depositing Muallem fee and plane fare at a time to the government treasury.
This is a burning issue, he commented.
He further said that how the prospective pilgrim will get back money from the government if anyone goes on a free ticket or of minor pilgrim’s money. There is no clear instruction from the government regarding these complexities.
He continued saying that the packages are made according to the desire of the pilgrims whether it will be in short-term or long-term duration. If the government controls the air ticket money then the whole management will face a complete fiasco.
According to the HAAB chief, so far the data of 53 thousand pilgrims have been installed.
But registration was not made due to the non-payment of money, he added.
HAAB president warned the government saying that if they remain sticks to its policy of depositing the Muallem fee and air ticket money to them then according to the decision of HAAB meeting of last February 3, the agencies will refrain from all hajj activities and finally would surrender their licenses to the government.
He also sought the interference of the premier to resolve the issue.
HAAB secretary general Sheikh Abdullah, senior vice-president Abdul Kabir Khan Zaman, vice-president Aftabuddin Chowdhury, joint-secretary general Farid Ahmed Majumdar, finance secretary Mojammel Hossain Kamal, public relations secretary Sayem Mohammad Hassan and cultural secretary Pirjada Mowlana Mu’tasim Billah along with other leaders were present at the conference.
BDST: 2103 HRS, FEB 12, 2015
