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Saudi Govt. promises better and excellent Haj in terms of service
Sunday November 07, 2010 03:36:20 PM,
ummid.com Staff Reporter
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Malegaon:
The government in Saudi Arabia has assured a better and excellent Haj
this year in terms of service.
"This year’s annual pilgrimage would
be much better than those in previous years in terms of services",
Arab News quoted Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal
who inspected the preparations for Haj in the holy sites of Mina,
Arafat and Muzdalifah on Saturday.
He said the use of the Mashair Railway would bring about
remarkable improvements in the transportation of pilgrims between
the holy places. Established at a cost of SR6.5 billion, the new
railway will have a capacity to transport 72,000 pilgrims an hour.
Nine stations have been constructed in Arafat, Mina and Muzdalifah,
each having three stations. This is the second largest project
implemented by the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs after
the SR4.5 billion high-tech Jamrat Bridge project in Mina.
The nonstop transport system, which will be used this year to
transport 780,000 pilgrims from Iran, Turkey, Europe, Australia,
US, and those from non-Arab African countries. The system will
enable the transportation of 44,000 pilgrims between the holy
places within an hour.
“It will reduce the time for reaching Muzdalifah from Arafat from
five hours to 20 minutes,” an official statement said, adding that
the system would be developed further to transport three million
pilgrims in the future.
Prince Khaled also inspected the fourth floor of the high-tech
Jamrat Bridge in Mina as well as the helipad to take pilgrims
suffering from chronic diseases to specialized hospitals using the
Saudi Red Crescent Authority’s air ambulances. This is the first
time an air ambulance service has been set up near the Jamrat.
Meanwhile, Prince Khaled chaired a meeting of the Central Haj
Committee at the governorate office in Muzdalifah and reviewed
preparations for Haj in the presence of ministers and top
officials.
The governor urged government departments and private agencies to
mobilize all their resources to serve pilgrims and make the Haj
operation a resounding success.
He said expansion work at King Abdulaziz Airport’s Haj Terminal
was completed before the Haj season, adding that this helped
pilgrims enjoy quick services at the airport.
He said the new Red Crescent helipads in Mawiya, Wadi Qadid,
Shumaisy and Al-Laith would benefit pilgrims.
Speaking about the Haj awareness campaign, Prince Khaled said it
would contribute to reducing the number of pilgrims who squat in
public places.
He said more than 112,000 pilgrims have already registered with
domestic pilgrim companies and obtained Haj permits. “The figure
is much higher than in previous years and shows that the media
campaign is bearing fruit,” he said.
In a related development, the Civil Defense department said it has
installed about 500 CCTV cameras in Makkah and the holy places to
monitor the movement of pilgrims 24 hours a day.
The department has 460 centers in Makkah and the holy places in
addition to 40 field units stationed outside the city.
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