Hajj Package: Slash airfare to Tk 1.5 lakh
Criticising Biman for fixing high airfare for hajj pilgrims this year, a parliamentary body yesterday asked the national flag carrier to cut it down to Tk 1.5 lakh from Tk 1.98 lakh.
The parliamentary standing committee on the religious affairs ministry made the recommendation following widespread criticism of high costs of hajj package.
Meanwhile, the High Court yesterday asked Attorney General AM Amin Uddin to talk with the authorities concerned on reducing the costs.
The HC bench of Justice KM Kamrul Kader and Justice Mohammad Ali said this while hearing a writ petition filed for reducing and re-fixing in seven days the costs within Tk 4 lakh for a pilgrim instead of Tk 6.83 lakh.
Ashraf-Uz-Zaman, a Supreme Court lawyer and chief coordinator of the Al-Quran Study Centre, sent the legal notice to the religious affairs ministry on March 6, saying he would take necessary steps against the ministry if it failed to re-fix the hajj expenses within seven days.
As the ministry concerned did not take any measures, the lawyer on March 12 filed the petition challenging the government decision of fixing Tk 6.83 lakh as the hajj package this year.
During yesterday's hearing, the attorney general said announcement of the hajj package is a government policy decision and that's why the court cannot issue any rule on the matter.
The judges at that time said as public interest is involved in this matter, there is no bar to hold hearing on this issue.
The court later adjourned the hearing.
Meanwhile, on behalf of the religious affairs ministry, a report was submitted to the High Court bench on the hajj package.
The ministry in the report said the hajj package costs have gone up this year due to an increase in the exchange rate of US dollar and rise in airfare, house rent and moallem (guide) fees.
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At the parliamentary standing committee meeting at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, the committee members said due to high rate of Biman fire, the cost of hajj package has gone up significantly.
The parliamentary watchdog even said the government should give subsidy to reduce the cost, if necessary.
Syed Nazibul Bashar Maizbhandari, a member of the committee, said people are not happy with the government due to high cost of hajj package.
"The next national election is not far away. The government will be in trouble if the cost is not reduced," he told The Daily Star after the meeting.
The committee has asked Biman Managing Director and CEO Shafiul Azim, who was present at the meeting, to cut the airfare by around Tk 50,000 and fix it at Tk 1.5 lakh.
The cost of hajj packageunder the government and private hajj management is about Tk 7 lakh. But the actual cost will exceed Tk 8 lakh to Tk 8.5 lakh after the inclusion of sacrificial animal, food and other miscellaneous costs.
Compared to last year, the cost of the package under the government and the private hajj management has increased by about Tk 1.61 lakh this year.
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