HAJJ CRISIS HAAB holds govt responsible [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

HAJJ CRISIS HAAB holds govt responsible

Local August 28, 2017

Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh on Sunday dismissed the allegations of cheating aspirant Hajj pilgrims and held the government responsible for the reported mismanagement in sending hajj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia this year.
In a press conference at the Ashkona Hajj camp, the HAAB secretary general Shahadat Hossain on Sunday blamed the religious affairs ministry, the civil aviation and tourism ministry, Saudi Arab and all banks dealing the Hajj related transactions for putting the aspirant pilgrims in awkward situation.
The HAAB secretary alleged that the religious ministry collected around Tk 3.80 core for training purpose but none of the pilgrims were given training, leaving them out of their rights.
Taslim made the allegation just hours after the religious affairs minister, Motiur Rahman, his wife and entourage left Dhaka for Saudi Arabian city Jeddah on Saturday evening to perform hajj this year, leaving hundreds of aspirant pilgrims in uncertainty on their travel to the Middle Eastern country.
Motiur Rahman had in several occasions accused the Hajj agencies for the creating trouble in Hajj operation while the government officials said over a hundred Hajj agents caused suffering which led the Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Saudia Airlines forced to cancel 28 flights in last 35 days.
Taslim on Saturday blamed the middlemen for creating the suffering as they did not transact Hajj service payment to the respective Hajj agencies.
But, a senior civil aviation ministry official told New Age that the Hajj agents staged the last time crisis to hire third carrier to fly the pilgrims instead of dedicated Hajj flights operated by the flag carriers of Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia, putting many pilgrims in trouble.
The official also said the greedy Hajj service providers also rented houses in Mecca as last moment especially between August 18 and 20 and tried to match their flight in accordance, caused the major schedule crisis.
The situation is so worse that the police had to intervene as the Airport police station inspector investigation Ijaj Shafi Mia said they brought an executive of Eco Aviation and Tourism and managed tickets of 174 pilgrims. They would fly finally by Sunday night, the official said.
Ijaj Shafi also said on Sunday alone they received complaints from 74 individuals of being cheated and the police tried to solve problems as much as possible.
‘We have limited scope to work with this issue as cheating took place out of Dhaka. So, we tried to put pressure on some operators so that they arrange tickets for pilgrims finally,’ said Ijaj.
As of Sunday morning, 1,20,427 out of 1,26,247 pilgrims who got visa were ferried to Saudi cities.
Some 5,820 aspirant pilgrims will have to ferry within a day.
In next 24 hours, from 8:00am on Sunday to 8:00am on Monday, Biman will operate four flights carrying over 1,200 while Saudia will have to carry over 4,000 others.
Shakil Meraj, the general manager (public relations), said they have already carried 64,600, which more than the estimated quota of 63,599.
The Hajj director Saiful Islam, who will leave Dhaka for Mecca on Monday, said they were yet to estimate how many pilgrims would miss the travel to Saudi cities.
Until Saturday, half of 2,258 people, who paid money to 12 private Hajj agencies— Shanjid Travels International, Al Balad Overseas, Club Travel Services, Global Tour and Travel Agency, Gulshan-A-Muhammadia Travels, Mco Travels and Tours, Mesfalah Travels, Modina Air International Aviation, Nibir Hajj Omrah and Tourism, Saeed Air International, Eco Aviation and Tourism and Uniroute Overseas and Tour Limited—were not sure about their travel.
But, the Hajj director claimed on Sunday that the problems were resolved and all of them could fly by Monday, the last day for pre-hajj flights.