MM Rahmatullah: Eighty-seven Thousand One Hundred (87,100) passengers will go to Makkah from Bangladesh to perform the holy Hajj this year, said Major General Md. Nurul Anwar, Director General of the Directorate of Immigration and Passports. He also mentioned that not all passengers will get the facility to reach their luggage at a specific location.
Md. Nurul Anwar said that 77,100 pilgrims traveling through Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport will be covered under this facility. The remaining 10,000 passengers traveling through other airports will not be covered under this facility.
He told this after a meeting with the Saudi Arabian delegation on ‘facilitating services for pilgrims traveling from Bangladesh’ organized at the Le Meridien hotel in the capital on Monday.
The Director General of the Directorate of Immigration and Passports said that a delegation arrived from Saudi Arabia on Sunday. They held a bilateral meeting with the Bangladeshi delegation. The issue discussed in the meeting was to facilitate various issues for those who go for Hajj from our country. So that their movement is smooth and they can go without any hassle.
Nurul Anwar said, one of the two areas where Bangladeshi pilgrims get benefits is that the immigration that is supposed to happen after arriving in Saudi Arabia is done before leaving the Bangladeshi airport. Another is the luggage management of the pilgrims that is handled through smart management. The luggage reaches the hotel where the pilgrims stay. They get these two benefits through the Makkah Route Initiative.
He said, like every time, our pilgrims will cross immigration and their luggage will reach there without any hassle. Hopefully, our pilgrims will be able to travel for Hajj flawlessly like always this time too.
In response to a question from journalists he said, the number of our pilgrims is 87,100. Of these, 10,000 pilgrims will not go through Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. This airport will become 77,100. Those who go through Shahjalal Airport will fall under the Makkah Route Initiative. The 10,000 pilgrims who will go from other airports will not fall under this facility.
Referring to the issue of luggage, he said, last year 85,000 pilgrims went. There were some problems with about 100 pieces of luggage. They expressed regret about this. They said they would take care of it this time. They also raised several points. We will also try to look into the matter.
Matiul Islam, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs said in response to a question regarding visa complications said that there was no problem with the visa. It was basically a problem with house rent. If the house is not rented, no one can apply for a visa. He also said that 100% of our pilgrims’ house rent has been completed till Monday morning.
Meanwhile, a meeting was held with the AQUALLA Chairman, including HAAB President Syed Golam Sarwer along with senior members of the Hajj Agencies Association (HAAB), to discuss the luggage complications and their solutions.
