JEDDAH — Minister of Haj and Umrah Muhammad Bantan has approved the executive plan for the grouping of pilgrims and forwarded it to Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, who is the chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee, for final endorsement. He said the first phase of the plan deals with grouping of the pilgrims to the Jamarat and to the stations of the Masher train. "The plan has also approved the strategy of crowd management in Mina through cameras and electronic monitoring," he explained. Bantan said his ministry is keen to involve all government and private bodies including the tawafa establishments and the Haj companies in the smooth grouping of pilgrims to ensure their safety and comfort. Meanwhile, about 600,000 pilgrims are expected to arrive in Madinah through Prince Muhammad Bin Abdul Aziz International Airport on board 2,561 flights from 39 countries. The airport has established a total of 90 counters to expedite the passport procedures of pilgrims. Sufficient numbers of personnel along with equipment for fingerprinting are deployed to man the counters. On the other hand, the Establishment for Guides has designed a special uniform for its 2,600 employees to make them easily recognizable for pilgrims who may need assistance.
