The Bangladesh religious affairs ministry has expressed worry over 90 private hajj agencies that are yet to process visa for hajj pilgrims within three days despite its instructions.
The ministry took the decision yesterday (Sunday) at an emergency meeting with Faridul Haque Khan, state minister for religious affairs, in the chair.
The show cause notice was issued on Sunday evening asking the hajj agencies to respond within the next three days.
In the show cause notice, it was said that, in a circular issued by the ministry of religious affairs on May 30, it was requested to complete the Hajj pilgrims’ visas within three days, but till now none of the 90 hajj agencies issued visas to the registered Hajj pilgrims.
The show cause notice further states that such mismanagement has hampered the smooth management of hajj and has ignored the government’s hajj management-related directives which are contrary to the Hajj and Umrah Management Act 2021.
Almost half of the private hajj pilgrims did not get visas within the stipulated time.
Under this situation, the religious affairs ministry on May 30 ordered the hajj agencies to complete the visas of the pilgrims within three days. But the agencies did not pay heed to the order causing uncertainty whether the pilgrims will reach Saudi Arabia on time.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines has sent a total of 26,926 hajj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia in the last 15 days since May 21.
