April 30 set as ‘final deadline’ for hajj reg

The religious affairs ministry has extended the deadline for registration of intended hajis till April 30, says a notice.

Due to a lack of response from people wishing to participate in this year's hajj, the ministry earlier extended the deadline for registration thrice.

The ministry said this is the final time they are extending the deadline. The previous deadline was April 16.

Registration began on March 2 and was supposed to end on March 15, before it was extended till March 25.

Earlier, the ministry and Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) said pilgrims will get back their money if they fail to perform hajj due to the spread of coronavirus.

Due to the outbreak of Covid-19, hajj aspirants are unsure whether hajj will be held at all this year. Hajj flights are scheduled to start from June 23.

On April 1, the Saudi government urged different countries to delay making hajj plans due to the pandemic.

The Bangladesh government on February 24 approved three hajj packages. Hajis will have to pay Tk 4.25 lakh for package-1 and Tk 3.60 lakh for package-2 under government management, which are Tk 6,500 and Tk 16,000 more than the corresponding packages of the previous year.

With affordability in mind, the government has also introduced package-3 for the first time, which hajis can avail at a cost of Tk 3.15 lakh.