Saudi Gazette A simple Indian man, Rajesh, who works at a mini-market in Abha completed his Haj rituals and reached his home safe and sound well before some of the wealthy people, who had registered with expensive VIP Haj companies. Rajesh with his low income could only afford to travel back and forth between Abha and Makkah by bus, and he did it quite comfortably. Rajesh reached his home Tuesday night, whereas, an elite Saudi man, Abdul Aziz, who had enrolled in a VIP Haj company was stuck at Jeddah airport until Wednesday night. His flight was delayed and no other alternative was available. Hence, he reached home 20 hours after Rajesh. Abdul Aziz expressed his disappointment and dissatisfaction with the supposedly VIP Haj company which had ensured to take care of all arrangments. “I chose one of the most well known and prestigious Haj companies in Abha. Since my elderly parents would accompany me on my Haj trip, I wanted to guarantee them the best services, no matter how costly the fees were. I paid SR10,000 for each one of us and were promised a semi-private tent that would provide us with special services, privacy, comfort, and relaxation. Much to my dismay, the tent we were lodged in was occupied by ten other families as well. The services we received were definitely not worth such an exorbitant cost,”said Abdul Aziz while talking to Al-Watan newspaper. “On Wednesday morning we went to King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah as the of departure time of our flight to Abha was 12:40 P.M. After we boarded the plane that our Haj company had rented, we were told to evacuate due to technical faults in the aircraft. Under the scorching sun, we descended the aeroplane and were transported back to the airport terminal. I cannot sufficiently describe the heart-breaking scene because many of the pilgrims were old and frail. After waiting in uncertainity for six hours we finally clambered up the plane steps once again,” continued Abdul Aziz. Abdul Aziz is only one example of the hundreds of pilgrims who were enraged with their Haj companies' services which offered elite services. Pilgrims called the Ministry of Haj to severely penalize Haj companies that took VIP fees, but provided lower than average services. __
