Legal notice demands to set hajj package cost at Tk 4 lakh max

Staff Reporter :
A legal notice has been served on Monday asking the Ministry of Religious Affairs to reduce and re-fix in seven days the cost of the hajj package within Tk 4 lakh per pilgrim instead of Tk 6.83 lakh.
Ashraf-Uz-Zaman, a Supreme Court lawyer, sent the legal notice to the Ministry, saying that he would take necessary steps against the Ministry if it fails to re-fix the hajj expense in seven days.
In the legal notice, the lawyer said the Ministry on February 2 this year announced the hajj package, in which the Bangladesh government and Saudi Arabian government set Tk 6.83 lakh per pilgrim as the cost.
Most of the points of the circulated package are very unreasonable and beyond the reach of general people, Ashraf-Uz-Zaman said in the legal notice.
In the legal notice, he said the Religious Affairs Ministry mentioned the airfare to be Tk 1,97,797 whereas the current fare is Tk 76,000 to 1,10,000 on the Bangladesh-Saudi-Bangladesh route.
Every year, both the governments compel the pilgrims to purchase air tickets from Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Saudi Airlines to give illegal benefits to these airlines, he said.
In the legal notice, the lawyer mentioned a few other points including house rent in Makkah and Medina, Zamzam water, visa fees and transportation, saying fees for those have been charged higher than the actual costs.