MAKKAH – The National Committee for Haj and Umrah has said the Ministry of Haj's delay in handing over the holy sites to the committee and the high cost of renting buses, food and manpower wages has caused a rise in costs for domestic pilgrims. Osama Filali, chairman of the committee headquartered at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), said the Ministry of Haj had not handed over the sites until now. However, the ministry said other parties were to blame for the delay. A ministry spokesman said these organizations gave the excuse that they are still carrying out projects at these sites. Filali said the number of companies for domestic pilgrims during 2011, based on the number of permits issued to these organizations last year, was 230. These companies provided their services to over 200,000 pilgrims within the Kingdom. Their services are provided according to classes, beginning with a low-cost Haj to more expensive categories. He said one of the basic reasons for the increase in charges for providing services to domestic pilgrims every year is the regular delay in handing over the holy sites to Haj companies. This delay causes a rise in charges because the sites are only handed over during the peak period of Haj when it is impossible to look for any alternatives. Therefore, the sites have to be prepared within a short span of time. Filali added: “There are several factors including the delay in handing over sites to companies for domestic pilgrims, apart from the rising costs for transportation, food supply and manpower. All these reasons collectively will cause a rise in the bills for the domestic pilgrim. Food prices have risen by 40 to 50 percent this year due to inflation.” As for transport, the cost has increased by 30 to 35 percent according to the quotes the companies have received this year. “The wages for national or expatriate manpower have risen by at least 60 percent compared to four years ago,” said Filali. He added that there were no real justifications for raising wages, but employees are simply demanding more than before. He said it was illogical to hand over the holy sites to companies for domestic pilgrims 15 to 20 days ahead of Haj. By this time, companies are usually forced to pay high prices and are under severe time constraints, leading them to charge pilgrims more, even if they are on low-cost Haj packages. Filali said it is no longer important to stay close to the Jamarat Bridge in Mina because of the giant project that has been carried out to allow all pilgrims to carry out their rites there with ease. Secondly, the Mashaer Train project has improved transport from the camps to the Jamarat Bridge and back. He said it is difficult for the ministry to hand over sites where work has been completed and wait for other projects to be completed. All work must be completed and then every site handed over at the same time. He said if the sites had been handed over to the companies by the first day of Dhul Qadah (Sept. 17), this would reduce costs by 30 percent. Filali added all the licenses for domestic pilgrims' companies expired last year. He did not know if the licenses would be renewed or not. People interested in performing Haj started booking since Ramadan and some companies are in an embarrassing situation because their licenses have not been renewed yet. Filali estimated the capital invested in companies for domestic pilgrims in Riyadh, Jeddah and Makkah at SR1 billion.
