Religious Affairs Adviser Dr AFM Khalid Hossain on Wednesday said the government is working to rationalize Hajj airfare while keeping the best interests of pilgrims in mind.
“Last year, airfares were reduced by nearly Tk 27,000 and efforts are underway to ensure a rational airfare this year too,” he said while addressing a workshop at the Dhaka Hajj Office in Ashkona in the morning.
The adviser said it was not possible for the government to reduce the overall cost of Hajj despite strong public demand.
“We cannot reduce the costs set by the government of Saudi Arabia. We can only negotiate a bit on airfare and accommodation,” he added.
Adviser Khalid noted that the government has no commercial interest in Hajj management. The government does not profit from Hajj, and unspent funds from government-managed packages are returned to pilgrims.
This year, Tk 8.28 crore was refunded to pilgrims who performed Hajj through the government channel, he said.
He further said that the larger the number of pilgrims under government management, the easier and safer the overall Hajj management will be. A significant number of government-managed pilgrims would also allow the government to provide better services, he added.