The religious affairs ministry has been carrying out hajj activities only on the basis of a hajj policy for the past 46 years. There is no law to regulate the activities of hajj-operating agencies to prevent sufferings and harassment of Bangladeshi pilgrims. This was stated by a senior official of the religious affairs ministry yesterday (Wednesday).

While talking to The Independent, the official expressed hope that hajj activities would be conducted under a new law from 2019. It is alleged that the ministry concerned is not interested in enacting a law to punish corrupt hajj agency owners even after they violate rules and regulations of hajj activities.

The government releases a hajj policy each year just before the pilgrimage season, ignoring the sufferings of the hajjis.

If any agency owner is involved in corruption, fraudulence and human trafficking in the name of conducting hajj and Umrah, a show-cause notice is served on them. The highest punishment is cancellation of licence, ministry sources said.

Each of the agency owners has several licences, and if one is cancelled, he or she runs the business with another licence, the sources said.

A section of ministry officials is also involved in this and they always try to save corrupt agency owners, the sources alleged.

Over one lakh Bangladeshis go to Saudi Arabia each year to perform hajj, spending a large amount of money for accommodation, food and other necessities.

Pilgrims under private management suffer immensely due to the negligence, recklessness, omission and default of hajj-operating agencies to provide proper services. After taking money from the pilgrims, these agencies do not provide services as promised in various contracts and hajj packages.

A section of agency owners and some ministry employees consider the hajj season as a money-making season, instead of considering it as a holy task, ministry sources said.

On April 15, 2008, the law ministry had sent a proposal to the Law Commission for enacting a law to regulate hajj activities. But the law is yet to see the light of day for reasons not known.

“The present Act on hajj management is very old. It was enacted during the British period. India has twice amended the laws on hajj regulations,” Anisur Rahman, acting secretary of the religious affairs ministry, told The Independent yesterday.

The ministry has taken the initiative to enact a law to regulate hajj activities, he said.

“We have collected data on the law. We will be able to prepare a draft law by January next year. We hope that there will be no need for a hajj policy after 2018. We will be able to conduct hajj under a new law in 2019, inshallah,” he added.

The new law will bring about discipline in hajj management, with provisions for punishment of hajj-operating agencies that violate the terms of their appointment and conditions of their contract and promises made in their hajj package for pilgrims, the acting secretary said.