This year some 106,373 Bangladeshis are making the journey to Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj, of whom 4,873 are going under the extra allotment of 5,000 allowed by the Saudi Arabian government, according to Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) President Ibrahim Bahar.
He said: “Due to problems using the online system of the Saudi Arabian embassy, 127 aspirants of the extra quota of 5,000 permitted by the Saudi government failed to make the pilgrimage.”
He said those who did not get visas were promptly reimbursed by the travel agencies.
Yesterday at the Askona Hajj Camp, the Dhaka Tribune met more than 200 aspirants who had received their visas but were still waiting for plane tickets.
They finally flew out of the country at one minute before midnight yesterday on a regularly scheduled Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight, according to HAAB Vice President Farid Ahmed Majumder.
Pilgrims who are going on Hajj this year from the extra quota will be supervised by HAAB. Their muallim fees, plane fares and house rents had been deposited in HAAB accounts.
Farid said: “Eight houses have been rented for the extra pilgrims. Some 2,500 pilgrims will live in two large houses and the remainder will be placed in another six houses.
“I suspect some pilgrims will face accommodation problems after reaching Saudi Arabia. HAAB and government officials will be there to solve whatever problems arise.”