Hajj prices will fall in next 2 years: Shaheem

The price of Hajj will be reduced within the next two years at most, Islamic Minister Dr Mohammed Shaheem Ali Saeed said on Tuesday.

Shaheem was speaking at the signing ceremony of the agreement to hand over the pilgrimage management of Maldivians to the Hajj Corporation at the Ministry of Islamic Affairs on Tuesday.

Speaking after the signing of the agreement, Shaheem said that Saudi Arabia handed over all the Hajj quotas to Maldives to the state-owned Hajj Corporation for the benefit of the people. He explained some of the reasons for the decision in the light of the long discussions.

One of the things he mentioned was to solve the problem of private companies charging high prices for taking people to Hajj in recent years. He noted that there have been cases in recent years where the companies have bought quotas through bidding and then sold them at high prices.

In addition to handing over the transportation to the Hajj Corporation, the Hajj Corporation has been further developed to reduce the cost of the pilgrimage upon the pilgrims, he said.

If the Hajj Corporation is properly developed, the cost of Umrah and Hajj will be greatly reduced in the future, he said.

"The aim is to put this into practice in the next few years. Hopefully, the cost of taking people to Hajj will be reduced in Maldives. A lot of work is being done through the Hajj Corporation," Shaheem said.

Shaheem added that all the quotas received by Maldives are being handed over to the Hajj Corporation with sweet hopes. There is great confidence that the corporation will improve its services and take the pilgrims responsibly, he said.

Hajj is a noble religious act of Islam which is linked to the highest interests of the people of the country.

Speaking at the ceremony, Hajj Corporation Managing Director Mohammed Shakeel said the company had been preparing to take all the pilgrims from Maldives for Hajj even before the signing of the agreement. Discussions are already underway to reduce the amount payable through the Hajj Corporation, he said.

“A lot of efforts are being made to reduce the current price of Hajj and make the corporation a self-sustaining company,” Shakeel said.

Shaheem has previously said that some private companies have charged between MVR 75,000 and 90,000. After winning the bid, an additional MVR 75,000 was charged as well, making the pilgrimage cost exorbitant.

The government has also decided to hand over all quotas to the Hajj Corporation in order to solve the problem and reduce the cost of Hajj.