The Ministry of Shipping is set to submit proposals to the Prime Minister's Office, seeking its approval for reviving the option of sending hajj pilgrims to Jeddah by sea, said shipping minister Shajahan Khan on Saturday.
"We are going to submit proposals to the PMO soon, seeking its approval for reviving the Chittagong-Jeddah maritime route for carrying Hajj pilgrims," he told the FE.
He said the ministry had taken the matter seriously, which was discussed with the Saudi government last year with the outcome of some positive notes.
"We asked our mission officials in Saudi Arabia to work on it," he said.
The government has approved the hajj packages 2018, raising the cost by around Tk 12,000 to Tk 16,000 in two government-supervised packages.
Under the Package-1 of government supervision, the cost will be around Tk 0.397 million (Tk 397,929) for this year, which was around Tk 0.381 (Tk 381,508) last year, a rise of Tk 16,421.
The package-2 under the government management will cost around Tk 0.331 million (Tk 331,359) for 2018, which was around Tk 0.319 million (Tk 319,355), an increase of Tk 12,004.
The Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh, the trade group, fixed the price of minimum hajj package at Tk 0.332 million (Tk 332,868) for an individual to perform hajj this year.
Of the amount, Tk 138,191 is included as Dhaka-Jeddah airfare. But the rate value for sacrificial animal is not included in the package.
However, depending on the facilities and accommodations the pilgrims prefer, the cost for the private package might go up.
The reviving of maritime passengers' cruise service between Chittagong and Jeddah route will significantly bring down the cost of performing hajj.
The introduction of sea route for the hajj purpose will cut expenses by more than 50 per cent, according to a leader of the HAAB.
Meanwhile, the Saudi government has agreed to allow India to revive the option of sending hajj pilgrims to Jeddah by sea after a long 22 years.
The kingdom's positive gesture came after the request from India, which is home to the second-largest Muslim population in the world.
A journey by ship from Mumbai to Jeddah took 10-12 days, often through rough seas.
Until 1995, the state-owned Shipping Corporation of India maintained maritime journey by ship from Mumbai to Jeddah.
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