Nada Al-Maddah Saudi Gazette MAKKAH — Muhammad Najm Al-Islam, Bangladeshi Consul General in Jeddah, praised the mega projects carried out by the government of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, in Makkah, Madinah and the holy sites. Following a meeting with Adnan Katib, Chairman of the South Asian Pilgrims' Tawafa Establishment, here recently, Al-Islam said pilgrims from Bangladesh and the rest of the world have benefitted from the services these projects have provided. The diplomat said he discussed with Katib the arrangements for receiving over 112,000 Bangladeshi pilgrims that are expected this year. Of these, 3,000 pilgrims come under the official Bangladeshi mission while the rest are distributed among 342 tourist agencies. Al-Islam said Bangladeshi Prime Minister Hasina Wajed intends to perform Haj this year, adding this is an opportunity for her to visit the Tawafa establishment. He said the meeting dealt with the Bangladeshi pilgrims' transport arrangements, including access to the Mashair Railway. He reassured that all pilgrims from Bangladesh will have camps in Arafat near the train station. This will allow them to reach different holy sites quickly. He added train tickets for pilgrims in the official Bangladeshi mission have been purchased, although seats still need to be booked. Al-Islam said they asked Katib to distribute containers of Zamzam water before the end of Haj. He said they could be loaded onto below-capacity planes returning to Bangladesh before the pilgrims are ready to return. If implemented, this proposal will reduce the load on planes transporting pilgrims to Bangladesh, he added. It will also enable pilgrims to focus solely on performing their rituals. He said Katib has promised to talk to the Zamzam water factory as soon as possible. Al-Islam said he told Katib the Bangladeshi government would address any failings of some tourist agencies that could affect the pilgrims' comfort, especially in matters concerning housing. He added that the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Bangladesh is keen to take action against agencies that are proven to be negligent. The ministry is prepared to penalize these agencies and even stop some of them from organizing Haj tours next year.
