MOHAMMED RASOOLDEEN
COLOMBO: The Government has advised Hajj Travel Operators in the country to avoid taking advanced payments for Hajj 2021 since the pilgrimage from Sri Lanka is cancelled this year.
Sri Lanka’s Haj Committee Chairman Akham Uwise told the Daily News that the decision has been taken in line with an announcement made by Saudi Arabia that it will not entertain foreign pilgrims this year as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday that it will limit the registration for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage to 60,000 pilgrims which would only include citizens and residents of the Kingdom.
Uwise said that the decision was taken by the Haj Committee in consultation with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is also the Minister of Religious Affairs to drop the programme of sending pilgrims for the 2021 Hajj pilgrimage.
He recalled that even last year, Sri Lanka could not send Hajj pilgrims due to the pandemic. In 2019, Sri Lanka sent some 2,800 pilgrims for the pilgrimage.
The Hajj Committee Chairman also said that if anyone has made advanced payments to a travel agent before the announcement, the agents are advised to return such sums to the pilgrims.
President of the All-Ceylon Hajj Tour Operators Association Rizmi Reyal said that Hajj and Umrah licenses have not been issued by the Sri Lankan Government for 2020 and 2021, hence there is no need for the agents to collect advances for the pilgrimage. Every year, Sri Lanka sends some 3,000 Hajj pilgrims and around 30,000 Umrah pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.(Daily News)
