Illegal pilgrims to be dealt with sternly

MAKKAH: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal said billions of riyals needed for conducting Haj pilgrimage annually is solely met by the Saudi government. He also warned illegal pilgrim and fake Haj service providing companies would be dealt with sternly.

"The amount of money the Kingdom's government spends for the guests of Allah is beyond imagination. The state budget allocates the cost of Haj including services offered to pilgrims.

"The projects in the holy sites, such as the fireproof tents, Jamrat Bridge, Mashair Railway, road networks and hospitals are worth billions. There is also the expenditure for power and water supplies. Hundreds of thousands of temporary workers are recruited for Haj service.

"More than 20,000 people are working in the health sector alone while security is undertaken by 140,000 in the holy sites during the Haj," Prince Khaled said in a press conference held at the Mina headquarters of the Makkah governorate on Thursday.

Prince Khaled, who is chairman of the Central Haj Committee, congratulated 2.8 million pilgrims most of whom completed their rites on Thursday.

The prince also congratulated Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, and Second Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Prince Naif for the success of the Haj. The prince warned that unless checked immediately illegal domestic pilgrims would create chaos in the holy sites during future Haj seasons.

However, he noted that the number of squatting pilgrims fell by 20 percent this year compared to 2009.

"The issue of squatting and illegal pilgrims will be dealt with sternly and we hope that in a few years the phenomenon will be brought to an end," the prince said.

The prince added that those who helped unlicensed pilgrims enter the holy sites would be treated harshly.

The prince also announced that the Haj Terminal Project at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah has been completed.

"The terminal, which lacks in nothing, is one of best in the world. The time a pilgrim needs to spend after his exit from the aircraft until his boarding a bus to his residential accommodation has been cut short from four to five hours to less than an hour - 40 to 50 minutes. This is a noteworthy achievement," he said, adding that the time of waiting would be further reduced to 30 minutes or less in the coming years.

Speaking about the Mashair Rail Project the prince said the project shortened the time needed for traveling from one location to another from many hours to minutes. He assured that the service would be fully commissioned next year.

The prince also warned that fake Haj service providing companies would be dealt with sternly.

"King Abdullah ordered me to submit a quick report about the solutions for crowding while returning from Arafat to Muzdalifah, Mina to Makkah, and in and around the Grand Mosque," he said.

The prince said studies are under way to increase the holding capacity of Mina.

Regarding the number of foreign Haj pilgrims, the prince said a foreign country is permitted to send pilgrims on the basis of the size of the Muslim population in that country. "But the problem with this number is that the population in country increases every year and I don't know until what time we will be able to accommodate the annual increase in their numbers," he said.