Staff Reporter :
The last date of receiving visa by the Hajj pilgrims has been extended by the Saudi Embassy, according to the Hajj office at Askona in the capital.
Though the last date of receiving visa was August 17, the Saudi Embassy extended the time by two days upto August 19 in response to the HAAB application.
Till date, some 1, 22,422 pilgrims have received visa out of 1, 27,198 for performing Hajj this year. A total of 73,045 pilgrims have already reached Jeddah.
Biman Bangladesh, the national flag carrier, has carried 34,896 passengers and Saudi Airlines airlifted 38,150, said Hajj office insider.
Besides, flight cancellation of Biman Bangladesh due to passenger shortage continues. On Thursday, two scheduled flights were cancelled as none reported for flights.
Flights of 6:00 am and 1:25 pm were cancelled due to pilgrim shortage, according to General Manager of Public Relation of Biman Sakil Meraj.In the last 20 days, 28 Hajj flights were cancelled due to pilgrims shortage of which 23 were Biman and five were Saudi Airlines.
According to the flight schedule, last flight of Biman Bangladesh will fly on August 26 and Saudi Airlines August 27.
Some 1, 22,998 pilgrims are going to Mecca under private management and 4200 under government management. Under government management, 3,340 pilgrims already reached Mecca and 860 pilgrims will fly on August 24 and 25, according to Hajj office at Askona in the capital.
Contracted, the Joint Secretary (Hajj) of the Ministry of the Religious Affairs Md Hafiz Uddin told the New Nation that agencies had completed visa approval for the pilgrims and they would be carried towards Hajj destination accordingly.
“Every year one to two per cent of the registered pilgrims fail to perform Hajj for different reasons. This year some 3000 to 3500 people may miss pilgrimage. It is pretty normal,” said Hafiz Uddin.
The General Secretary of HAAB Sahdat Taslim also affirmed that the situation is normal and Hajj pilgrims will reach in time.
