Licence of five agencies suspended

The government has cancelled licences of 11 Hajj agencies, which send pilgrims to Saudi Arabia every year, Religious Affairs Secretary Kazi Habibul Awal told the media on Tuesday.     

Awal said licences of five others agencies had been suspended.

He said these agencies had been found guilty of irregularities while sending pilgrims during the 2012 Hajj season.

Recently, the government cracked down on manpower export firms and is coming up with a new law to protect the interests of the workers, who are sent abroad through private agencies.

144 manpower export agencies were fined between Tk 100,000 and Tk 500,000 for irregularities, the Secretary said.

The government had recently announced two Hajj packages, under which 127,198 pilgrims went to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj -- one under the government supervision and the other through private agencies.

According to a government circular, 10,000 pilgrims went under government management this year and the remaining 117,198 through private agencies.