The problem of housing pilgrims during this year's Haj is bound to become aggravated if some of the conditions governing the licensing process are not softened or relaxed, experts in Haj housing have warned. As a result, experts cannot rule out the possibility of the occurrence of a real housing crisis in Makkah. They have alleged that because of conflicting rules and inconsistent directives defining the licensing process, it would be difficult for the authorities to house all the pilgrims comfortably. A grave crisis is at hand, several experts were quoted by Al-Nadwa Arabic daily as saying. Informed sources say that the responsibility of granting licenses to pilgrims' buildings now rests with the Supreme Tourism Commission after it entered into an agreement with Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The Commission has come up with a package of tough conditions deemed by several landlords to be impossible. Some others even accused Commission officials of lacking knowledge about the topographic and geographical nature of the holy city which explains the reason behind the shortage in residential buildings used for housing pilgrims. This also explains the skyrocketing prices of land, considered the highest in the world. The Supreme Tourism Commission has yet to set up an office in Makakh and this has aggravated the problem since landlords and other committee members cannot approach it for consultations, experts feel. Investors in real estate in Makkah have also complained about the conflicting rules among government agencies. “This is responsible for the non-application of safety rules in buildings located in the central area surrounding the Holy Mosque,” one investor said. Saeed Al-Qureshi, Deputy Chairman of the Haj and Umrah Committee at Makkah's Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said several heads and representatives of Haj missions from across the globe wanted to sign housing contracts with landlords in order to get Haj visas for their pilgrims. But till now they have failed since most of the owners of the furnished flats and hotels could not obtain permits for buildings. Al-Qureshi criticized the mechanism applied for the issuing of the license pointing out that the non-availability of a branch of the Commission in Makkah leaves no option to the landlords and investors but to travel constantly from Makkah to Jeddah so as to meet the officials concerned in the Commission. Building owners have sought intervention of the concerned officials in resolving the issue before the situation worsens further. They have suggested that the Ministry of Commerce be temporarily assigned to issue permits until the end of the Haj season, and then the Commission can assume its responsibility next Haj. Khalail Bahder, member of the Tourism Committee who is also Deputy Chairman of the Tourism and Transportation Committee in Makkah's Chamber, expressed his surprise at one of the conditions put forward by the Commission. “They want the area of a room in four-star hotels to be 32 sq. meters. Over 90% of the hotels in Makkah cannot fulfill this condition,” he said. He added that this condition can be met in other places where the price of a square meter of land is SR2,000 but not in Makkah where one square meter of land is worth more than SR250,000. __
