83,000 register for hajj this yr

People show less interest due to economic crisis


FE REPORT | Published: February 06, 2024 23:46:33


83,000 register for hajj this yr


Nearly 83,000 people of the country have registered for the holy hajj this year until the Friday deadline.
About 45,000 quotas for the hajj pilgrims have not yet been fulfilled, according to the government's hajj management portal.
Of the total, 4,260 have so far been enlisted under government arrangement while 78,647 under private arrangement.
When asked, officials at the Ministry of Religious Affairs said the time for the registration would not be extended further.
The Saudi government has approved a quota for 127,198 Bangladeshis to perform hajj in 2024.
Of them, 10,198 can perform hajj under the government management.
The hajj registration process began on 15 November. However, the deadline was extended five times on the request from hajj agencies.
Replying to a query why the hajj quota was not fulfilled despite the repeated extension of the deadline, hajj agencies' owners said people show less interest in performing hajj for higher prices of hajj package this year.
The people are facing an economic crisis, so they are not willing to perform hajj this year.
"The value of the dollar, hajj expenses and house rents in Saudi Arabia has increased this year. Besides, public interest in performing the holy Umrah has also increased."
To perform the hajj, a pilgrim will have to pay Tk 578,840 under government's general package and Tk 936,320 under special package.
The Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) has set a general package of Tk 589,800 and a special package of Tk 699,300 under private management.
A Bangladeshi pilgrim spent Tk 6, 71,290 under the government arrangement, while Tk 660,893 under private arrangement in 2023.
Some 122,558 Bangladeshis performed hajj in 2023 against the quota for 127,198 devotees.
This year hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, will be performed on the ninth day of Zilhaj (16 June) subject to the sighting of the moon.

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