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JEDDAH: The operation of a monorail system during the Haj next year would facilitate the transport of millions of pilgrims between the holy sites of Makkah, Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah.

Habeeb Zain Al-Abidine, deputy minister of municipal and rural affairs, said the monorails would transport 500,000 pilgrims between the holy sites within six to eight hours.

“This will help withdraw at least 30,000 small and large buses from the Haj service,” said Zain .Al-Abidene while addressing a seminar on civil engineering projects for Haj.

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MAKKAH: Chairman of the Central Haj Committee, Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, launched a national media campaign on Saturday urging pilgrims to be responsible during the Haj and perform their rites properly.

“This year’s media campaign is a translation of the development plan for the Makkah region under the motto: Development of Man and Place,” the prince said at a press conference at the governorate.

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MAKKAH: As part of its efforts to increase safety and comfort of Haj pilgrims, the Ministry of Haj has decided to assign doctors and clinics to Tawafa establishments (the organizations that take care of Haj pilgrims) during the upcoming Haj season, which falls this year in the last week of November.

The Ministry of Haj is also keen on protecting pilgrims from the H1N1 pandemic.

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MAKKAH: The Makkah municipality will largely focus on street cleaning, environmental safety and guaranteeing supply of hygienic food at restaurants during the month of Ramadan.

Makkah Mayor Osama Al-Bar said on Sunday, The municipality has made preparations for the large number of pilgrims and visitors gathering in Makkah in the holy month of Ramadan and have in place the required number of workers and equipment to implement all tasks.

The municipality has also set up special committees to guarantee that all the tasks are completed as planned particularly at places where Umrah pilgrims and visitors assemble in large numbers.

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RIYADH – The Haj security commanders on Saturday discussed measures to prevent contagious diseases in the ensuing Haj and Umrah seasons.

At a meeting here chaired by Maj. Gen. Nasser Bin Saud Al-Arfaj, Deputy Director of Public Security and Commander of the Haj Security Forces, the Haj commanders reviewed the decisions of the Council of Ministers to curb the spread of swine flu.

The meeting also discussed methods to prevent the entry of small cars in the holy sites. The prevention is vital in tackling the entry of illegal pilgrims. The mechanism for continuing the ban on squatting according to the previously approved measures also was part of the discussions.

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JEDDAH – The Umrah season is already underway and in a couple of months it will reach its peak with the onset of Ramadan, the month wherein close to three million pilgrims are expected to throng the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madina.

With the arrival of these pilgrims from every corner of the world, there is every possibility of the outbreak of diseases in the holy sites and Jeddah, the gateway to Makkah and Madina.

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JEDDAH: Umrah visas are not being issued to pilgrims from Egypt and Malaysia as a precautionary measure to tackle swine flu, said an official from the company that handles pilgrims in the Kingdom.

The ban on pilgrims from countries where cases of swine flu have surfaced has resulted in a considerable fall in the number of pilgrims coming in recent days, said Mahmoud Abul Majd, director of the computer department at Tasheel United Company. Only 3,000 pilgrims arrived yesterday, while 10,000 pilgrims used to arrive daily until a few days ago, he added.

The Ministry of Haj issued more than 1.6 million visas for the present Umrah season that began on Jan. 14. Over the past three months, 1.3 million people have come to the Kingdom for Umrah, Abul Majd said.

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JEDDAH – Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah Region, and Chairman of the Haj Central Committee, inaugurated on Wednesday a “Hopes and Reality” workshop to look at the issue of pilgrim housing. The now annual event looks at ways to improve services to pilgrims to the two holy cities. Prince Khaled spoke of progress made since the first workshop held last year. “Everybody has made concerted efforts to put into action what was agreed upon last year, and the results were great,” Prince Khaled said. “The reality is good, and hopes and ambition will make it better.” – SPA

MAKKAH: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal yesterday inaugurated new electronic services for issuing pilgrim housing permits and health certificates. The new services are provided in association with the Makkah municipality and qualified engineering offices in the city.

Makkah Mayor Osama Al-Bar said the new pilgrim housing regulations allowed approved engineering offices to check housing facilities in the city before licensing them to provide housing facilities for pilgrims.

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JEDDAH: The Foreign Ministry may consider opening centers for issuing visas in various parts of countries that send large numbers of pilgrims for Haj and Umrah, an official said yesterday.

The aim of opening such centers would be to reduce crowding at Saudi embassies and consulates, Muhammad bin Ahmed Tayeb, director general of the ministrys office in Makkah province, told Arab News.

Its possible. In fact, this is our policy. During the Haj season we send many officials to different countries to issue visas and support our staff in embassies, particularly in countries such as India, Indonesia, Turkey and Egypt, Tayeb said when asked about the possibility of expanding visa services abroad.

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