The deadline for Hajj registration under government and private management has been extended for another four days till April 11 as the quota fixed for Bangladeshi hajj pilgrims is yet to be fulfilled after reducing the hajj package cost.

Once the quota is filled, the registration server will automatically shut down, the Ministry of Religious Affairs said in a notification signed by Abul Kashem Muhammad Shaheen, deputy secretary of Hajj-1 branch      of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, on Friday.

But a total of 1,19,212 aspirant pilgrims have registered for Hajj pilgrimage, according to the latest information. Among them, some 9,996 pilgrims registered under government management and 1,09,216 people registered under private management, said a source at the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Still some 7,986 quotas for hajj pilgrims have been left vacant. In 2023, some 2,49,224 people who wanted to go to Hajj had completed their pre-registration. Among them, 8,391 people pre-registered under the government management, while the number was 2, 40,833 under private management.

After the ministry’s announcement of reducing the hajj package cost, a Bangladeshi will have to spend at least Tk 6,71,290 to perform hajj under government management this year, while the minimum cost for performing hajj under private management has been fixed at Tk 6,60,893.

Apart from this, each pilgrim will have to pay about Tk 22,000 for a Qurbani (sacrificing animals) coupon from the Islamic Development Bank in Saudi Arabia.

The registration of pilgrims for hajj this year started on February 8. The deadline for registration was February 23, which was extended to February 28.  A very few pilgrims completed the procedure of registration compared to the quota fixed for Bangladesh. Later, the deadline for registration period was extended till March 7. But less than half the quota of pilgrims was fulfilled till that deadline.

The 2023 edition of Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, will be held on 9th day of Zillhajj or June 27, depending on moon sighting.