Pay attention to aggrieved hajj pilgrims

There are also pilgrims who complained that they were forced to pay more than the package amount fixed by the government or agencies

It is disconcerting to note that the grievances of defrauded hajj pilgrims of this year are yet to be addressed by the religious affairs ministry. The  pilgrims have long urged the ministry to recover their money as well as punish the errant agencies and their middlemen, but step in that direction has not been taken. 
According to a report published in this newspaper yesterday a large number of pilgrims this year could not perform hajj even though they paid full to the relevant agencies. There are also pilgrims who complained that they were forced to pay more than the package amount fixed by the government or agencies. 
An example here will suffice. A couple of Damodarpur area in Rangpur could not go to Mecca for performing hajj, even though the couple together paid around Tk 8.50 lakh to the agent of a hajj agency called Zaman Enterprise. Before they paid Tk 3 lakh but later they were forced to pay an additional 2.50 lakh. Even then they could not perform hajj. 
The Independent report says more than 200 complaints were placed by the aggrieved people in the relevant agencies without any effect. Most of these complaints are involved with mismanagement and problems with accommodation and banquet facilities by the agencies. Now it is pertinent to point out here that there are many devotees who painfully collect money for years to perform hajj. They often sell their valuable assets such as a piece of land or domestic animals for the purpose. 
It is very unfortunate that these pilgrims have to face one kind of problems or the other. Management of hajj either by the government or by private agencies has never been smooth. It must be said here that both the government and private hajj agencies earn money from the client pilgrims who deserve the service they are promised. 
However, to address the grievances of hajj pilgrims caused by private agencies, it is the religious ministry which has to take the responsibility, and soon. It ought to investigate the allegations lodged by the defrauded pilgrims and take necessary action to bring to book the errant agencies. The ministry must see that the money paid by the pilgrims for hajj is duly returned to the relevant pilgrims who could not perform hajj. And it also needs to take tough actions such as cancelling the license of the hajj agencies that cheated their clients most grossly.  

 

Pay attention to aggrieved hajj pilgrims

There are also pilgrims who complained that they were forced to pay more than the package amount fixed by the government or agencies

It is disconcerting to note that the grievances of defrauded hajj pilgrims of this year are yet to be addressed by the religious affairs ministry. The pilgrims have long urged the ministry to recover their money as well as punish the errant agencies and their middlemen, but step in that direction has not been taken. According to a report published in this newspaper yesterday a large number of pilgrims this year could not perform hajj even though they paid full to the relevant agencies. There are also pilgrims who complained that they were forced to pay more than the package amount fixed by the government or agencies. An example here will suffice. A couple of Damodarpur area in Rangpur could not go to Mecca for performing hajj, even though the couple together paid around Tk 8.50 lakh to the agent of a hajj agency called Zaman Enterprise. Before they paid Tk 3 lakh but later they were forced to pay an additional 2.50 lakh. Even then they could not perform hajj. The Independent report says more than 200 complaints were placed by the aggrieved people in the relevant agencies without any effect. Most of these complaints are involved with mismanagement and problems with accommodation and banquet facilities by the agencies. Now it is pertinent to point out here that there are many devotees who painfully collect money for years to perform hajj. They often sell their valuable assets such as a piece of land or domestic animals for the purpose. It is very unfortunate that these pilgrims have to face one kind of problems or the other. Management of hajj either by the government or by private agencies has never been smooth. It must be said here that both the government and private hajj agencies earn money from the client pilgrims who deserve the service they are promised. However, to address the grievances of hajj pilgrims caused by private agencies, it is the religious ministry which has to take the responsibility, and soon. It ought to investigate the allegations lodged by the defrauded pilgrims and take necessary action to bring to book the errant agencies. The ministry must see that the money paid by the pilgrims for hajj is duly returned to the relevant pilgrims who could not perform hajj. And it also needs to take tough actions such as cancelling the license of the hajj agencies that cheated their clients most grossly.