Mina, city tent
By MAKKAH: ARAB NEWS
Published: Apr 24, 2012 00:57 Updated: Apr 24, 2012 00:57
The Ministry of Haj is working on its operations plan for the next Haj season and focuses on providing complete services to the guests of God, a spokesman of the ministry said yesterday.
Haj Minister Bandar Muhammad Hamzah Hajjar will approve the plan in June, Hatim bin Hassan Qadi told Al-Madinah newspaper.
Qadi, who is the undersecretary of the ministry, said the plan would contain many new elements to further improve the services for the pilgrims. He did not reveal the new elements but said they were within the Ministry's continued efforts to ensure the guests of God
with the best of services in all sectors.
He recalled that the Haj Minister recently held a series of meetings with all parties concerned with the affairs of Haj. These included the Tuwafa establishments that organize Haj trips for pilgrims.
“During his numerous meetings with the Tuwafa establishments, the Minister put a strong emphasis on the training and rehabilitation of their staff so they could provide excellent services to the pilgrims,” he added.
Qadi said the Ministry would clearly explain the Haj instructions, banning any kind of exploitation of the religious event for political purposes, of the Haj missions and the representatives of Haj companies. He said the Ministry every year receives about 71 Haj missions and more than 2,250 representatives of Haj and tourist companies.
Asked about the usual delay in handing over tents in Mina to the Mutawifeen, or guides for pilgrims, Qadi said the tents for the accommodation of pilgrims belonged to the Finance Ministry. Coordinators would deliver the tents after maintenance. Those who wanted to receive the tents early would have to provide guards for them.
The spokesman announced that the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs would establish 6,000 new toilets in the Holy Sites this year. Another 30,000 new ones would arrive in the near future.
The Ministry of Water and Electricity was making sure there would be enough water for the pilgrims in Makkah at the Holy Sites. Well before the Haj season, the Ministry, through the National Water Company, would examine the water distribution network to make sure that the continuous flow of water would not be disrupted.
The spokesman recalled that more than half a million people used the Mashaer train last year. He expected the Haramain Express Train to be operational in 2014 and said it would be a great addition to the means of transport for Haj and Umrah pilgrims.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article615718.ece
Mina