Chittagong Bureau :
Permission to private shipping companies to carry hajj pilgrims from Chittagong to Jeddah by waterways is needed for mid income people of the country.
President of Hajj Pilgrims Welfare council and the general Secretary Ahmadul Islam Chowdhry and Principal Dr. Abdul Karim in a joint statement said Government will consider the matter sympathetically for better interest of the less income group people for performing hajj with minimum amount of expenditure.
The statement said Airlines companies were realizing more than One lakh taka as air fare from Chittagong- Jeddah or Dhaka -Jeddah whereas if the Hajis travel through ship , the cost of the fare will come down to one third of that air fare. Sources said three private shipping companies in the meantime , proposed govt to allow them to carry hajj prilgrams from Bangladesh and these private shippers are also interested to carry pilgrims from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Maldives at the same time.
Mentionable that Chittagong Port is internationally reputed sea port of Bangladesh and it has a permanent haji camp at Pahartali in city since long. The statement was told that Bangladesh as second largest Muslim country , more than one lakh pilgrims every year perform hajj . It also said if the present govt is so cordial and sympathetic to the hajj pilgrims , we hope govt will consider to accord permission to private shippers or BSC for the purpose. Mentionable that during Pak regime , maximum hajis were transported to Saudi Arabia by steamer and after emergence of Bangladesh it was continued before 1980 and later suspended the steamer service to Jeddah, sources said.
Permission to private shipping companies to carry hajj pilgrims from Chittagong to Jeddah by waterways is needed for mid income people of the country.
President of Hajj Pilgrims Welfare council and the general Secretary Ahmadul Islam Chowdhry and Principal Dr. Abdul Karim in a joint statement said Government will consider the matter sympathetically for better interest of the less income group people for performing hajj with minimum amount of expenditure.
The statement said Airlines companies were realizing more than One lakh taka as air fare from Chittagong- Jeddah or Dhaka -Jeddah whereas if the Hajis travel through ship , the cost of the fare will come down to one third of that air fare. Sources said three private shipping companies in the meantime , proposed govt to allow them to carry hajj prilgrams from Bangladesh and these private shippers are also interested to carry pilgrims from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Maldives at the same time.
Mentionable that Chittagong Port is internationally reputed sea port of Bangladesh and it has a permanent haji camp at Pahartali in city since long. The statement was told that Bangladesh as second largest Muslim country , more than one lakh pilgrims every year perform hajj . It also said if the present govt is so cordial and sympathetic to the hajj pilgrims , we hope govt will consider to accord permission to private shippers or BSC for the purpose. Mentionable that during Pak regime , maximum hajis were transported to Saudi Arabia by steamer and after emergence of Bangladesh it was continued before 1980 and later suspended the steamer service to Jeddah, sources said.
