The government is going to set up a separate desk for faster delivery of Machine Readable Passport (MRP) to hajj pilgrims, as the usual process is allegedly dilatory.
State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal disclosed the plan Friday and said the special window would make police verification very fast for the passport-seekers.
He came up with the plan at the inaugural ceremony of four-day '8th Hajj and Umrah Fair-2015" at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the city.
The digital passport is mandatory for all now as it is observed that without MRP the hajj pilgrims face difficulties, the minister said.
"The government will not tolerate any harassment of the pilgrims as we want to ensure good management for performing hajj," he told the opening function of the fair, organized jointly by the Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) and E3 Solutions Ltd.
About 136 hajj agencies and banks and financial institutions are exhibiting their services at the fair that will remain open to the public from 10:00am to 8:00pm every day.
For smooth journey HAAB president Ibrahim Bahar requested the government to reopen the third-carrier option apart from Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Saudi Arabian Airlines.
He said hajj agencies' image is being tarnished for problems in hajj trips. "So pilgrims should directly contact hajj agents, avoiding middleman."
Chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on religious affairs Bazlul Haque Harun, hajj officer Jahangir Alam and HAAB secretary-general Shaikh Abdullah were present.
The cabinet has approved the draft National Hajj and Umrah Policy 1435 Hijri (2015 AD) and the Hajj Package 2015.
According to hajj package a total cost for a pilgrim will stand at Tk 296,206. And this year a total of 101,758 pilgrims will perform hajj on September 22 (subject to moon- sighting in Saudi Arabia).
Under the government management a total of 10,000 people could go to Saudi Arabia for Hajj this year and 91,758 people will go to hajj under private agencies' arrangement.
Last year, 98,762 Bangladeshi pilgrims performed hajj on both government and private packages.
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