They are pocketing hundreds of crores taka claiming higher cost of tickets and reservation of accommodation in Saudi Arabia. Hajj has become an occasion for many officials and ruling party men to enjoy luxury journey free of cost as volunteers to help the pilgrims who pay for the cost. This is unfair but the government is patronizing party loyalists this way.
A report in a national daily on Tuesday said syndicates are already active to pocket at least over Tk 70 crore this year deceiving innocent pilgrims. What is highly disturbing is that they are exploiting the pilgrims by dodging the eyes of law enforcing agencies, as some of their members are also helping the illegal business from the sideline.
For over 127,198 pilgrims Biman Authorities have already distributed 63,000 air tickets to 104 agencies while 635 agencies are involved in the process. The rest will fly with Saudi Airlines. It is an open secret that Hajj Agencies, which don’t get allocation of Biman tickets, buy it from those getting direct allocation from Biman at a Premium price and this is how Hajj agencies enjoying government favour are minting illegal fortune, although many of them are on suspension list for earlier irregularities.
The government this year has fixed Tk. 1,24,723 as fare for registered pilgrims but Biman has already added an extra amount without a circular in this regard. Hajj agencies are overpricing Hajj packages claiming agency charges, booking of additional tickets and troubles in obtaining visas. The biggest fraud takes place in case of hiring accommodation and a section of Hajj ministry officials are equally involved in the mischief. In fact they were expected to fight back irregularities and corruption but it is engulfing the entire system.
Such irregularities have also already started at the very beginning of this year’s pilgrim season and one would expect Biman to explain why it is doing so. But given the big corruption in chartering aircraft by Biman for carrying pilgrims, corruption in ticketing and such other additional cost appears to be insignificant. Every step of Hajj is now beset by big corruption and mismanagement and Pilgrims are forced to pay for it. Travel Agencies mushrooming from political sideline are doing brisk business as breaking law is now the rule of the game. The fact is that there is none to protect the pilgrims.
