FROM PAGE 3

Mina-Arafat-Muzdalifah, and other services that are done in exchange for money, then the cost of the hajj package will naturally decrease,” he said.

Meanwhile, even after multiple deadline extensions, the required number of hajj pilgrims are yet to complete registration.

The deadline for registration ends tomorrow.

Sources at the hajj office in Dhaka said a total of 1,18,489 aspirant pilgrims have so far registered as of yesterday. According to an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh, a total of 1.27 lakh Bangladeshis will be able to perform hajj this year.

Of the total, 9,949 registered under government hajj-management services and 1,08,540 under private hajj management services.

Due to the poor response, the government has so far extended the deadline for hajj registration seven times.

The ATAB secretary general said although the government is telling that 1.18 lakh aspirant pilgrims have registered, the actual number is lower, as five percent of those registered will not perform hajj, meaning they have registered on behalf of other aspirant pilgrims who are uncertain regarding whether they will perform the hajj or not.

HAAB and ATAB leaders said despite the huge interest of people in performing hajj, people have less interest in registering due to the high cost of hajj packages this year.

A Bangladeshi will have to spend around Tk 7 lakh to perform hajj, which increased by around Tk 1.61 lakh compared to the previous year.

Both ATAB and HAAB leaders said this year’s airfare was very high for which the costs of hajj packages have increased significantly.

“The airfare of Biman was Tk 1.40 lakh last year. However, this year, it is around Tk 1.98 lakh which is very high,” said HAAB President M Shahadat Hossain Taslim.

HAAB on Sunday demanded that the government form a technical committee to fix the airfare of hajj from next year.