He said that issuance of application forms to the registered HGOs for booking intending pilgrims will start following the dispatch of offer letters to them very soon.Last date for submission of completed application form had been fixed as 15 June where as passports of the intending pilgrims would have to be deposited to the ministry on August 01, he added. The complaints received against the private Hajj organizers are being scrutinized to take a strict action against violators of the package of facilities offered to the pilgrims during last Hajj.
“We have received about 75 written complaints against private Hajj organizers out of which 50 have been sent back to complainants to file more evidences,” Incharge Complaint Cell, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Khawas Khan Niazi said here on Wednesday.
About 25 complaints received with evidences have been sent to the concerned private Hajj operator for comments before taking any action, he added.
Khawas Khan Niazi said the private Hajj operators under an agreement were supposed to provide package of certain facilities to the pilgrims during performance of the Hajj.
“The pilgrims were asked to file complaints against the operators who violated the agreement by attaching a copy of passport, copy of agreement or any other evidence,” he added.
Khawas Khan Niazi said a total of 595 private Hajj organizers were selected by the Ministry who sent 80,148 pilgrims for Hajj under private scheme last year.
He said a monitoring team comprising 40 officials selected from the different ministries and organizations was also deployed in Makkah and Madina to address the complaints and problems faced by the pilgrims.
The monitoring team visited almost all the private operators and took first hand information from the pilgrims.
“There were complaints about accommodation, supply of water, cleanliness and other facilities which were redressed,” he added.
He said, it has been ensured that a strict action would be taken in case of any genuine grievance.
Responding to a question, he said that cash security of about 200 private Hajj operators is being released as there was no written complaint against them.
