The government will take legal actions against some hajj agencies for failing to send Bangladeshi citizens to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) for performing hajj this year.
"We will take legal actions against them (the hajj agencies concerned) for their negligence in sending the aspirant pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for performing hajj," said Religious Affairs Minister Principal Motiur Rahman.
He was speaking at a press briefing at Ashkona Hajj Camp in the capital on Wednesday.
The minister said the Ministry of Religious Affairs has received complaints against some hajj agencies.
Over six hundred people could not go to KSA for performing hajj this year due to various reasons, including illness, death and negligence of the hajj agencies concerned, he noted.
A total of 1,26,798 pilgrims will perform hajj this year, from August 19 to August 24.
Of them, 6,798 will do it under the government management, and the rest 12,00,000 under private management. Apart from the government, 528 private agencies were allowed to send pilgrims to perform hajj this year.
A total of 1,21,868 intending hajj pilgrims have so far reached KSA from Bangladesh. The rest of the pilgrims will reach there by August 17, he added.
UNB adds, the last flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines was scheduled to leave for Saudi Arabia yesterday (August 15) while that of the Saudi Airlines tomorrow (August 17).
The first hajj flight left Dhaka on July 14, while the return hajj flights are scheduled to begin on August 27 and will continue until September 25.
Meanwhile, another report from Riydah added that Saudi Arabia's state airline Saudia said its flights have been affected by a system failure, as KSA hosts the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
The airline acknowledged the disruption in a statement issued on Tuesday without saying how many flights were affected, according to the reports by Arab News and Straits Times.
The airline said it was using alternative methods to handle flights and avoid any further delay.
"Saudia has taken the necessary measures to contain the situation and reduce the effects of disruptions," it said in an official statement.
It also said the main operating room has been activated to monitor the situation closely and take further measures when necessary.
Saudia apologised to passengers, affected by the sudden disruption, and stressed that efforts are continuing to address the flight planning system failure and to return to the regular schedule.
The hajj, which is expected to draw more than two million pilgrims this year, represents a key rite of passage for Muslims and a massive logistical challenge for the Saudi authorities.
So far, more than one million pilgrims have arrived in KSA, according to state media.
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