Saudi Gazette MAKKAH — Emir of Makkah Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who is the chairman of the Central Haj Committee, has asked passport officials at all airports, seaports and land crossings to expedite immigration procedures for pilgrims both on arrival and departure. The emir gave the instructions during a meeting with Director General of Passports Maj. Gen. Sulaiman Al-Yahya and a number of senior passport officials at his office in Jeddah. "The pilgrims should not be left stranded or made to wait for a long time on arrival or departure," Prince Khaled said. He reviewed the passport services being provided to the pilgrims and received a statistical report on the activities of the department in all of the Kingdom's crossing points. Meanwhile, the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) has prepared about 5 million booklets, pamphlets and CDs on the correct methods of performing to be distributed among the guests of God through 45 distribution points in Makkah, Madinah and the Holy Sites. Undersecretary of the commission Fahd Al-Khidir said the awareness materials were prepared in 10 different languages. On the other hand, Makkah municipality has warned Haj companies and the tawafa establishments that erect billboards to guide pilgrims in violation of regulations that it will not hesitate to remove them. A municipality spokesman said they have teams to patrolling the streets looking for any violating billboards and to dismantle immediately. "Some billboards are disgraceful to the beauty and sanctity of the holy city while others may constitute a danger to passersby," he said. The Haj security forces have prevented the use of golf carts and motorbikes to take pilgrims to throw stones at the Jamarat on Dhul Hijja 10 and the following three days of Tashriq. The forces asked the Haj companies and the tawafa establishments to be committed to the regulations of the pilgrims' grouping and to the rules of mass management to protect the safety of the guests of God. Mina, the city of tents where pilgrims stay for five days, has all geared up to welcome the pilgrims on Dhul Hijja 8 (tentatively Sept. 9) where they will stay overnight before proceeding to the plains of Arafat early next morning to stand in prayers until sunset. The Civil Defense, security forces, the tawafa establishments, the Haj companies and all the other concerned government and private bodies have completed their preparations in both Mina and Arafat to welcome the pilgrims and provide them with excellent services that will enable them complete their Haj rituals in ease, peace and comfort. In Madinah, the inspectors of the municipality have conducted about 5,800 inspection tours during the past two weeks on shops, eateries, health institutions and other facilities involved in the service of pilgrims. The tours resulted in the closure of 10 eateries and issuance of warning letters to 2,359 other establishments. As many as 223 violations were recorded during the inspections. The municipality dismissed 243 illegal workers and destroyed more than 15.6 tons of contaminated food items.
