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2017 haj price rises to almost Rp 35m
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Haj pilgrims from Sumenep, Madura, embark aircraft at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java, on Tuesday, on Aug.9, 2016. (thejakartapost.com/Wahyoe Boediwardhana)
T
he government and the House of Representatives agreed on Thursday to increase the price of the 2017 haj to Rp 34.9 million (US$2,620) per person, higher than last year’s Rp 34,6 million.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with representatives of the Religious Ministry, the House religious affairs commission chairman, Ali Taher Parasong, said the increase was aimed at improving services for pilgrims, such as meals and tents.
“As they will stay in Saudi Arabia for 41 days, from the previous 40 days, there must be an increase in the allocation for meals,” Ali said at the House compound in Senayan in South Jakarta.
This year, the country’s haj quota has returned to the normal figure of 211,000 per year, after it was cut 20 percent in 2013 because of the renovation of the Masjidil Haram Grand Mosque in Mecca.
The government and the House plan to facilitate this year’s haj pilgrims with 5,330 fresh tents equipped with air conditioners and fans.
“Based on a monitoring visit by a number of lawmakers during the 2016 haj season, the House proposed to the government that tents in Arafah be upgraded,” Ali said.
Ali said the Religious Ministry and the House would meet again on Friday to make the price estimate official.
