The government has appointed Mohammad Daudul Islam, Joint Secretary to the Commerce Ministry, as administrator to the Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) dissolving the existing executive committee of the trade body before completion of its tenure.
The Commerce Ministry on Tuesday issued a notification appointing the administrator and giving 120 days to hold a free and fair election following an application of a Hajj Agency owner Mohammed Ali. The Ministry's Trade Organisation Wing's Director General Md Abdur Rahim, also an Additional Secretary, signed the order.
Meanwhile, resentment has been created among the members of the HAAB as well as the Hajj and Umrah agencies after the decision of the Commerce Ministry. The HAAB leaders also decided not to receive the order issued by the Ministry.
The HAAB has also called an emergency press conference at 12:00pm on Wednesday to protest the government decision and unveil its plan to handle the issue in future.
When contacted HAAB Secretary General Farid Ahmed Majumder on Tuesday said that the HAAB leaders as well as the Hajj and Umrah agencies will not accept the Commerce Ministry decision as one more year of the executive committee is still left.
"We have reorganised the EC recently after the resignation of its President M Shahadat Hossain Taslim. In an unanimous decision of the EC's rest 26 members, Secretary General Faruk Ahmed Sarder was elected new president and EC Member Farid Ahmed Majumder was elected new secretary general. Once the tenure of the EC expires, steps to hold an election would be taken," he added.
According to the notification, some Hajj agency owners, owners of SR Trade Tours and Travels, East Bangla Hajj Services, Al Nafi Travels, claiming themselves as member of Anti-Discrimination Hajj Agencies filed the complaint against the committee for their failure to run the trade body duly.