Accommodation for 10,487 Hajj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia has not yet been secured.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs is currently facing difficulties regarding these pilgrims. According to the ministry, among them, 7,274 pilgrims will be in Mecca and 3,213 in Madina, reports Bangla Tribune.
This information was shared by the religious affairs adviser, Dr AFM Khalid Hossain, at a press conference at the Secretariat on Tuesday.
He said that out of 81,900 pilgrims going through private channels, until 12:30pm on Tuesday, accommodation in Mecca has been confirmed for 74,626 pilgrims and in Madina for 78,687 pilgrims.
Accommodation has not yet been finalized for 10,487 pilgrims, including 7,274 in Mecca and 3,213 in Madina, he added.
The adviser said that on Monday, ministry officials held a meeting with Hajj agencies on Zoom. "According to the information provided by the agencies, accommodation/hotel rental requests on the Nusuk Massar platform had not yet been submitted for 1,126 pilgrims in Mecca and 1,067 in Madina.
Khalid further said that the ministry is continuously urging Hajj agencies to submit accommodation requests on the online platform. Show-cause notices have been issued to agencies that have not yet finalized accommodation agreements.
He added that as of Monday, the number of such agencies was 21. However, that number has now decreased to nine.
According to the Saudi government's declared roadmap, visas for all pilgrims must be completed by April 18. Letters have been sent to the Hajj agencies to ensure that all pilgrims' visas are completed within the specified time.
He also said: "Through you (the media), we want to state clearly—if even a single pilgrim fails to perform Hajj due to the negligence or carelessness of any agency, that agency will be held responsible. Under no circumstances will the Ministry of Religious Affairs bear that responsibility."
The adviser said: "We would like to request the agencies to complete all activities within the timeline set by the Saudi government in the interest of ensuring the pilgrims' performance of Hajj. Until the accommodation request is submitted and approved on the online platform, the risk regarding the concerned pilgrim's travel to Saudi Arabia remains."
