The Religious Affairs Ministry on Tuesday opened its server for one day for hajj registration as per the special request of the hajj pilgrims and Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (Haab). Those who failed to complete their registration for going hajj this year will avail the opportunity, said a notice issued by the Religious Affairs Ministry on April 20. According to the notice, the serial number of the registration under both government and private management was opened for today and both the managements have the opportunity to create a new pre-registration facility for the pilgrims. The server will be closed automatically once the registration quota is fulfilled, it said. This will be the last time and there will be no extension for registration. On March 30, the government extended the registration deadline for hajj until April 5 in a bid to fulfill the registration quota. On January 9, the government signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia over hajj. According to the agreement, 15,000 people will be able to go to hajj under government management while 112,198 can go under private management. Also read: Hajj registration deadline extended again till April 5 Of these, 9,935 and 108,351 pilgrims have already registered under the government and the private management system respectively. This year, 70 percent Bangladeshi pilgrims will go through Jeddah Airport while the rest 30 percent will go through Madinah Airport. Meanwhile, the government reduced the cost of hajj packages under both public and private managements by Tk11,725 as Saudi Arabia has reduced a service charge for the intending pilgrims worldwide. Pilgrims who will perform hajj under the government management have to pay Tk 6, 71,290 each to perform hajj this year after deduction of Tk 11,725. Besides, those who will go under private management have to pay Tk 6, 60,893 each after deduction of the amount.

Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) has announced package for performing hajj under private management this year fixing minimum cost at Tk 6,72, 618. M Shahadat Hossain, president of HAAB, announced the package at a programme in the city on Thursday. This year, the cost for performing hajj under private management has increased by Tk 1.49 lakh as pilgrims spent Tk 5,22,744 as minimum cost last year. The cost of sacrificial animals was not included in the package but the hajj agencies can announce more packages as per their demand, said Shahadat. Pilgrims have to bear the cost of sacrificial animals, he said. No airlines will be allowed to carry pilgrims without the dedicated flights or scheduled flights and if the Saudi government imposes any new fee than the pilgrims have to bear the extra costs, he added. The pilgrims have to deposit the full amount of the package to the agencies concerned or their bank accounts from January 6 to January 15 and collect a money receipt, he said. Earlier on Wednesday, the government fixed Tk 6,83,018 as the cost for each pilgrim to perform hajj this year. Hajj-2023 will be held on 9th day of Zilhaj (June 28) depending on moon sighting. The government signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia over hajj on January 9. According to the agreement, 15,000 people will be able to go to Hajj under government management while 1,12,198 can go under private management. Biman Bangladesh Airlines will carry 50 percent passengers while Saudia Airlines will carry 50 percent passengers. Besides, the age limit for Hajj pilgrims during the pandemic has been lifted by the Saudi government – paving the way for people over 65 to go for the significant pilgrimage. Also read: Govt raises hajj cost by Tk 1.61 lakh this year According to the ‘Route to Mecca initiative’ deal, all hajj pilgrims will complete their pre-arrival immigration in Dhaka. In case of Covid vulnerable situation, the Saudi authorities can take a decision about the number of the pilgrimage. This year, 70 percent Bangladeshi pilgrims will go through Jeddah Airport while the rest 30 percent will go through Madinah airport.

Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh(HAAB) has announced package for performing hajj under private management  this year. M Shahadat Hossain, president of HAAB, announced the package at a program in the city on Thursday. The minimum cost for each pilgrim has been fixed at Tk 4,63,000  excluding the cost sacrificial animals. The private Hajj agencies will be able to announce  their own special packages but it won’t be lower than the minimum general package announced by HAAB. Also read: Hajj pilgrims must submit Covid-negative report before journey This year, a total of 57,856 pilgrims will be able to perform Hajj from Bangladesh and of them 53,585 will travel under private management. The minimum cost under government management has been fixed at Tk 4,62, 150 this year which is over Tk 1 lakh more than 2020. Also read: Hajj flight begins on May 31