Banks urged to extend hours for Hajj registration deadline day

The Ministry of Religious Affairs has asked banks to remain open beyond regular hours on Sunday, the last day for completing the primary registration for next year's Hajj, reports bdnews24.com.

In a letter addressed to the central bank on Thursday, Mamun Al Faruq, deputy secretary of the religious ministry, emphasised the necessity of keeping bank branches accepting Hajj payments open after office hours. The move is aimed at accommodating last-minute registrants.

On Friday, Mamun told bdnews24.com: "The letter we have sent is to mainly ensure that Hajj registration does not get stuck at the last minute. As per tradition, transactions are kept open for a few hours even after banking hours end in view of such requests."

However, Bangladesh Bank Assistant Spokesperson and Director Shahriar Siddique said that no decision has been taken on the matter yet.

Currently, to go for Hajj, one has to pay a fee of Tk 30,000 and complete the "pre-registration" in the first phase. The applicant has to then pay Tk 300,000 at a specified time for 'primary registration'.

According to the already announced package, applicants have to pay the remaining amount to complete the "registration" process.

As many as 127,198 people from Bangladesh will be able to go for Hajj this year.

As of Friday afternoon, 4,635 people completed their primary registration to perform Hajj next year.

At least 51,290 people have completed their registration through private channels.