Camps for low-cost Haj to be allotted soon

The Haj Ministry has announced that it would soon start allocating camps to companies for the 41,000 pilgrims expected to participate in this year’s expanded low-cost Haj program. The General Directorate for Domestic Pilgrims said firms wanting to reserve camps were sent electronic applications on Monday. The ministry said that the winning companies would be notified via text message. The firms would have to abide by regulations issued by the ministry recently. Minister of Haj Bandar Hajjar said the program would provide for 41,000 pilgrims, up from the 17,000 last season. Pilgrims would be able to choose from a range of prices. Hajjar said there was a high level of satisfaction expressed by pilgrims who were on the program last year. Hajjar said the ministry was committed to helping poor pilgrims. Those wanting to participate this year can apply on the ministry’s website. Hajjar had announced earlier that the ministry plans to expand its domestic Haj program to include 168,000 pilgrims this season. A total of 120,000 would be part of the regular program, subject to agreements with companies. He said the decision to expand the domestic program was to help more citizens and expatriates perform Haj, and also meant to bring down prices.   Arab News