Many of them are even languishing at the camp for the last nine days with no local currencies. The intending pilgrims alleged they are exchanging riyal for taka to buy daily meals and breakfast.

"My wife and I arrived at the camp on December 25 as our flight was scheduled for that day," Mahtab Uddin of Netrakona told The Daily Star yesterday.

"Our hajj agency charged us Tk 2,000 extras, saying they had to bribe Biman officials to get air tickets," he said, adding, 13 of their group are waiting for nine days for their tickets.

Hundreds of pilgrims and their relatives yesterday demonstrated in front of Biman office in Kurmitola. Many of them have lost faith in the agents and are gathering at the Biman office to learn about their tickets.

Many of the pilgrims, including women, were found passing their days miserably along with some relatives on the camp's ground floor. They are exposed to shivering cold, mosquitoes and an utterly unhygienic situation.

"We had to sell our land and will sell more to send our father to Saudi Arabia. But we want an assurance that his flight is confirmed," said Yusuf Ali of Netrakona who came to see off his father Suruj Miah on Wednesday.

Yusuf said the camp's toilets are horrible and he goes to a nearby hotel to get refreshed at Tk 30 every day.

Besides, they have to spend a handsome amount every day for buying food as the agency is not supplying the pilgrims anything despite taking advance payment.

"I am not concerned about food and accommodation; my sole concern is if I will be able to perform the hajj," sobbed Fazal Ahmed Khan of Narsingdi who arrived four days ago.

Hajj Officer Abi Abdullah said they are not responsible for arranging accommodation for the relatives.

"We have ensured accommodation of the hajj pilgrims. We have room for 2,500 people, while around 2,000 pilgrims are staying here," he said.

However, the five-storey camp accommodates a number of pilgrims in the corridors covering it with cloths.

On the pilgrims languishing on the ground floor for the last few days, Abi Abdullah said the agencies have brought the pilgrims and left them like this.

HAJJ STILL UNCERTAIN FOR AROUND 3,000
Performing the hajj is still uncertain for about 2,500 to 3,000 intending pilgrims as the government is yet to confirm their flights, alleged President of Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (Haab) Abdus Shakur yesterday.

"The government assured us of flights, but our concern is growing up day by day as time is running out," Shakur told The Daily Star last night.

He said many travel agents and pilgrims demonstrated at the Biman office on Saturday night as only 500 to 600 seats were distributed against a demand of a few thousand.

As many as 43,764 Bangladeshi pilgrims reached Saudi Arabia until yesterday morning by Biman and other airlines operating from Dhaka, said a Biman press release.

Biman has asked the Saudi authorities to sanction 10 more slots to carry another 3,000 pilgrims and is trying to charter another wide-bodied aircraft to carry them on January 5-6.