Makkah News and Updates

 

E-gates to prevent illegal pilgrims

 

30 August 2013 - 23 Shawwal 1434 H

MAKKAH — About seven electronic gates will be established at the entrances to Makkah to stop illegal pilgrims sneaking into the holy city during the Haj season.

As many as 31 companies competed to win the contract for the implementation of the project, which has received the approval of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.

The Makkah governorate, the Haj Ministry and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' Haj Research Center will study the offers and quotes of these companies and pick the winning firm that will implement the project.

Under the project, the pilgrims will be asked to wear smart bracelets that will be automatically scanned at the gate to immediately tell if they are allowed to perform Haj or not.

The buses will be provided with smart chips that will help automatically scan the pilgrims on board when they pass through the gates.

Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar had earlier hinted the project might be trialed during the upcoming Haj season.

Once fully implemented, the electronic scanning of pilgrims will help curb the number of the squatters who sleep under the bridges in Mina, the minister said.

He said the ministry would establish an integrated Haj terminal in Makkah on an area of 1.6 million square meters to provide pilgrims with all the services they may require.

He said the terminal would house all the Tawafa establishments’ field service offices and the offices of all 80 foreign Haj missions.

Meanwhile, Hajjar approved the operations plan of the National Establishment for Pilgrim Guides for the upcoming Haj season during a meeting at the establishment’s headquarters in Madinah on Wednesday night.

He stressed the importance of exerting more efforts and using advanced technology to ensure pilgrims receive the best services.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20130830178663

30 August 2013 - 23 Shawwal 1434 H

JEDDAH — All Umrah pilgrims have left the Kingdom on time, said Minister of Haj Dr. Bandar Hajjar.

Over 5 million people from all over the globe performed Umrah this season with great ease and comfort thanks to the projects that have been implemented and are being carried out by the government specifically for this purpose, the minister told Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Thursday.

He lauded the Ministry of Haj’s Umrah plan for this year and described it as a successful one that dealt effectively with Umrah overstayers.

The minister spoke highly of the global electronic network that has been put in action to handle the huge number of Umrah visas and helped the ministry track the number of Umrah pilgrims who entered and left the Kingdom.

The ministry also set up a numeric electronic system to monitor departure flights for Umrah pilgrims. The system allows it to keep track of flight departure times, as it is linked with the General Authority of Civil Aviation and Saudi Arabian Airlines’ systems.

Additionally, the ministry has used several systems to ensure all Umrah pilgrims get the best services.

In recognition of the ministry’s unprecedented success in organizing this Umrah season, the ministry will hold an event to honor and thank its personnel and other related authorities, said the minister.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20130830178704

29 August 2013 - 22 Shawwal 1434 H

MAKKAH — Residents of Shaab Aamir district in Makkah have replaced their cars with motorbikes because of the narrow streets that are constantly crowded, especially during the Haj and Umrah seasons.

The district overlooks the Grand Mosque from the northeast. The residents said they were avoiding traffic jams by using motorbikes instead of cars.

The district still maintains its old houses. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was besieged in Shaab Aamir by an alliance of disbelievers who threatened the Prophet's relatives (Banu Hashim and Banu Abdul Mutalib) that they would not trade with them, speak to them or greet them until they handed over the Prophet to them.

The district is known for its mountainous topography and old houses. Many of its residents have left to live in other more developed and less noisy areas. Some of them deserted the district simply because they could not find parking places.

The old residents usually spend their time at the Markaz (a gathering place which is usually the house of the mayor or a VIP) while the young residents play football and practice other sports in the narrow alleys. About 65 percent of the district's houses were demolished for the expansion of the Grand Mosque.

Salim Al-Fahmi, a resident, said the Shaab Aamir is still the closest district to the Grand Mosque despite the demolishing of its houses and those in the area linking it to Al-Ghazza district.

He said the residents usually spend their leisure time at the Markazes near their homes. “During the Haj and Umrah seasons, the residents mix with the pilgrims and visitors. It is a whole new life for them every time,” he said.

Fahmi said during the Haj and Umrah seasons and also during school vacations, traffic jams become a usual scene. “Movement becomes impossible because the Shaab Aamir is located in the central area around the Grand Mosque and there are very few streets leading to it,” he said.

Khaled Al-Zahrani said many roads leading to and from the district have been blocked. “The first road to be closed was the one connecting the area with Al-Ghazza neighborhood.

“This road has now become a passage for the use of pilgrims visiting the Grand Mosque,” he said.

Al-Zahrani said next the road linking the district with the second ring road was closed. “Only two roads — those leading to Al-Mallawi district and the Khandamah mountain — are still open,” he said.

Ala Qattan said the residents use motorbikes to go to the other areas of Makkah. He asked the traffic police not to harass them. “We are holders of regular driving licenses and also the neighbors of the Grand Mosque. So the traffic police should not stop us or confiscate our motorbikes,” he said. Qattan said sometimes the young men use their motorbikes to transport pilgrims for a small fee.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20130829178574

Friday 30 August 2013

A severe penalty awaits any pilgrim found with drugs, said Saudi Arabian Consul General Majid Muhammad Al-Gathani during an interactive session with officials of the pilgrims’ board in Kano, Nigeria.

“The Saudi law on drugs is very strict and that is why we encourage officials to educate pilgrims,” Al-Gathani said.

He appealed to the pilgrims’ board to enlighten the pilgrims on the dangers inherent to carrying drugs, including local herbs.

He said that about 1,400 female pilgrims were discovered without a mahram last year even though their travel documents indicated that they had one.

Ahmad Umar, Nigeria’s consul general in Saudi Arabia, said many pilgrims are ignorant and need to be informed about Haj rituals and the code of conduct in the holy land.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Gombe in Nigeria has also warned intending pilgrims against smuggling drugs to Saudi Arabia. “We advise pilgrims not to be involved in drug smuggling because we all know that this leads to the death sentence,” said Aliyn Adole, NDLEA commander.

Adole also warned pilgrims against carrying bags or envelopes on people's behalf.

The commander advised them to follow instructions on joining queues and proper screening before boarding.

“Anybody arrested for bypassing the screening point will be charged in court,” he said.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/462968

Friday 30 August 2013

The Haj Ministry has been successful in implementing a well-planned digitized system to ensure that the last of the millions of Umrah pilgrims who arrived in the country left the Kingdom at their scheduled time of departure.

“This Umrah season, in which 5.1 million pilgrims arrived out of 5.3 million visas issued, was a great success because of the Haj Ministry’s implementation of regulations at the orders of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah,” Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency on Thursday.

The Umrah season ended on Aug. 8. The ministry ordered that all pilgrims leave the country on or before Aug. 22.

The practice of Umrah pilgrims illegally staying back in the Kingdom was one of the major causes that led to the presence of illegal workers in the country. The Haj Ministry has been working in tandem with other ministries to ensure that all pilgrims left the country after their permitted period of stay.

“The ministry’s digitized services with high precision resulted in greater control of the pilgrims’ movements on the one hand and simplification of procedures for pilgrims on the other,” Hajjar said.

He added that the ministry insisted that the departure of each pilgrim should be through the entry point where they arrived and where electronic registration executed supplying data about the arrival and return of the pilgrim.

Electronic records were also prepared to show the time and flight of each pilgrim’s return.

All pilgrim companies were also notified and reminded online of the departure time of each pilgrim, he said.

The ministry’s electronic monitoring system kept a watch on the airlines that brought in the pilgrims, he added.

The ministry also made sure that pilgrim service companies made arrangements for the return of pilgrims under their responsibility, including taking them to airports on time.

The ministry also established an electronic linkage with the General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) and the Saudi Arabian Airlines to keep track of the schedules of planes. Any airline that failed to return the pilgrims it brought in are also subject to punitive measures. It is with this aim that GACA insists on receiving a financial guarantee from pilgrim transporting airlines companies.

The minister also lauded the services of Interior Minister Prince Muhammad bin Naif, chairman of the Higher Haj Committee; Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, chairman of the Central Haj Committee; and Madinah Gov. Prince Faisal bin Salman, chairman of the Madinah Haj Committee, to make the pilgrimage comfortable and safe.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/462973

31 August 2013 - 24 Shawwal 1434 H

MAKKAH — The Emir of Makkah province and head of the Central Haj Committee, Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, will launch the sixth national campaign for Haj awareness on Sunday.

The Makkah governorate has prepared the necessary plans and programs to ensure proper execution of the campaign, which targets citizens and encourages them to be patient with pilgrims and deal with them in a kind manner.

Through educating citizens on the importance of serving pilgrims, the campaign also seeks the support of citizens in offering a high level of services to Haj and Umrah pilgrims. The campaign will stress respect of holy places and the pilgrimage, fellow Muslims, and rules and regulations.

The campaign will be executed with the collaboration and cooperation of more than 30 government and private bodies. Participating bodies include the ministries of Haj, culture and information, municipal and rural affairs, health, Islamic affairs, education, and commerce and industry, public security, the Civil Defense, the Presidency for the Two Holy Mosques Affairs, the municipalities, Makkah city council, communication companies, Saudi Arabian Airlines, the Saudi Red Crescent and Tawafa organizations.

Abdulaziz Al-Khedairi, undersecretary at the Makkah governorate, expressed his gratitude to the emir for his continued efforts to facilitate better services for Haj and Umrah pilgrims.

http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20130831178807

Saturday 31 August 2013

The General Authority for Civil Aviation will demand a minimum of a SR600,000 bank guarantee to ensure the return of pilgrims to their home countries from Haj.

Air carriers flying pilgrims should deposit the funds in banks every Haj season.

After deducting any incurred fine on violations committed, the remaining amount will be returned to the company at the end of Haj season, a GACA statement said

The technical controls included submitting a bank guarantee to the authority at a local Saudi bank in the name of the airliner or its agent, equivalent to the number of pilgrims to be transported, and according to the prevailing prices of a one-way ticket from Jeddah to the country of origin.

GACA put the minimum cap for the guarantee at SR600,000, of which the authority has the power to deduct the costs of returning pilgrims who the carrier left behind.

GACA has the right to fix the value of the bank guarantee on the basis of the market prices of the tickets, which other operating carriers with good reputation in the field paid at the time, according to GACA. The guarantee should be valid for six months starting from the actual date of flights for the current Haj season.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/463079

Saturday 31 August 2013

With Haj approaching, pilgrims around the globe are making the necessary preparations for flights to Saudi Arabia, while international airlines are readying special Haj flights.

Pre-Haj flight operations are from Sept. 9 to Oct. 9 from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad while the post-Haj session is scheduled from Oct. 19 until Nov.18, according to Akbar Hussain Rajput, manager at Pakistan International Airline (PIA) in Riyadh.

Rajput said: “We are using two types of aircraft with capacity of 503 and 329 passengers, respectively. We would have 214 flights during this Haj session. PIA has arranged up to 400 scouts to assist pilgrims at different airports in Pakistan as well as in Jeddah.”

This year, at least 47,000 Pakistanis will perform Haj under the government quota while more than 23,000 pilgrims will perform Haj under private tour operators’ quota.

Chokchai Panyayong, executive officer for commercial operations at Thai Airways International, said: “We are prepared to arrange special flights for Thai Muslims with the first flight departing from Narathiwat Airport to Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport on Sept. 7.”

He added that Thai Airways is organizing nine round-trip special flights from Sept. 7 to Oct. 30, with seven flights departing from Hat Yai International Airport and two from Narathiwat Airport for Jeddah.

Thai Airways expects approximately 2,655 passengers to use its services during Haj, he said.

An Air India official in Riyadh said the airline will operate Haj flights from Sept. 7 at Mangalore International Airport. The departure of pilgrims from Saudi Arabia will start on Oct. 20-24. It is expected that each day 220 passengers will fly from Mangalore.

Shahid Fareed, manager at Garuda Indonesia, said: “We are ready to fly 12 aircraft to ferry 90,108 Indonesian pilgrims in 233 groups. Garuda will start its flights from Sept. 10.”

Garuda will allow each Indonesian Haj pilgrim to carry up to 32 kg luggage, 7 kg hand carriage and 5 liters of Zamzam water. Saudi Arabia this year reduced the number of pilgrims by about 20 percent because of ongoing expansion work at the Grand Mosque in Makkah.

The government also appealed to the elderly and those with health problems to postpone their plans to perform Haj this year due to the deadly coronavirus disease in the Kingdom.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/463089

Saturday 31 August 2013

An estimated 5,500 Palestinians pilgrims will perform Haj this year, according to Palestinian Ambassador Imad Shaath.

Shaath told Arab News that the first group consisting of 500 people will arrive at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah on Nov. 1.

Pilgrims typically arrive from Palestine in two groups. The first group — about 40 percent of the total number of pilgrims – arrives by air from the Gaza Strip via Egypt. The remaining 60 percent arrives by land via Jordan.

Shaath said that Palestinian pilgrims are well received and accommodated, and in general, do not face any problems during the performance of the pilgrimage.

The Kingdom provides all the amenities and services they may need.

This is the case for pilgrims from everywhere, Shaath said, not just Palestine.

However, for those Palestinian pilgrims arriving in the Kingdom by land, some challenges emerge during the process of entering the Kingdom. The problems are border issues, not problems within the Kingdom, he said.

Referring to the recent development projects aimed at increasing the capacity of the two holy mosques, Saath pointed out that he personally witnessed the big difference during this year and last year in his performance of Umrah in Ramadan, stressing that this expansion is ultimately very useful in accommodating the largest number of pilgrims during this year’s pilgrimage.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/463067

Tuesday 27 August 2013

Pakistani expats appear set to reconsider plans to perform the Haj pilgrimage this year at the advice of Ambassador Muhammad Naeem Khan.

“Our plan for the upcoming Haj season includes steps to urge Pakistani residents in Saudi Arabia to cooperate with the Saudi administration in view of ongoing expansion works,” said Syed Abu Ahmad Akif, director-general of Haj at the Pakistan Consulate in Jeddah.

Only 104,000 local pilgrims will be permitted to enter Makkah this year, in comparison to 200,000 last year.

“The mataf (circumambulation) area at the Grand Mosque in Makkah is partially closed due to works. It can accommodate only 48,000 worshippers per hour now,” said Khan.

Once the planned construction is over, this number will treble to around 150,000.

He warned against entering the holy precinct without permission. Violators will be arrested. “The penalty could be as severe as deportation,” said Khan.
Khan had asked his compatriots in the Kingdom to “reconsider their plans of performing the Haj ritual this year” earlier this month.

Akif said that the annual quota for Pakistan pilgrims has been reduced by 36,000 but that the reduction is not limited to Pakistan and will be applied to countries sending pilgrims over to varying degrees.

During his February visit, Pakistan’s Minister for Religious Affairs, Sardar Muhammad Yousef, had requested Saudi authorities to increase the quota by 20,000, but Pakistan Haj officials have since had to contend with a lesser number of pilgrims.

He said that Haj Deputy Minister, Shahid Khan, will visit the country soon to discuss Haj arrangements.

Sohail A. Khan, press consular at the Pakistan Consulate in Jeddah, clarified the ambassador’s statement, saying that those who have previously performed the Haj ritual are advised to hold back on performing the ritual again.

“The first flight of Pakistan pilgrims will reach Jeddah on Sept. 10” he said.
“Our Haj operators and the government in Islamabad have already reached an accord to reduce the number of pilgrims for 2013,” Sohail said.

One Pakistani expat living in Jeddah, who asked to remain anonymous, said it is the duty of Saudi authorities to apply maximum vigilance on entry points to reduce the number of violators entering the area.

“I had plans to perform Haj this year with my family, but I think we can hold off until next year,” Shahid Qamar, an engineer from Pakistan, said.

Shahid welcomed the Pakistani envoy’s suggestion. “We understand the situation there. and I think we should postpone our plans, as construction works are going ahead in full swing.”

“I urge Saudi authorities to penalize and deport these beggars who come for Umrah and are left behind to engage in such activities that give their country a bad reputation,” said Akif.

http://www.arabnews.com/news/462631