Hassan Cheruppa Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Indian Haj Consul Sheikh Mohammed Noor Rahman said his consulate has completed selecting buildings for Haj pilgrims from the country. “We are now in the process of scanning buildings before making full payment. Our priority is to choose the best buildings as well as to reduce complaints to a minimum,” he told Saudi Gazette. Rahman, who is also deputy consul general, said the Indian Haj mission is geared up to receive the pilgrims and all arrangements are in place. This year, about 130,000 Indians will perform Haj, compared to over 170,000 Indian Haj pilgrims last year. A 34,000 drop in the number of pilgrims this year is due to a 20 percent quota cut by the Saudi Ministry of Haj due to the ongoing expansion work in the Grand Mosque in Makkah. He said: “The drop in the number of pilgrims will help us to finally pick the best among the selected buildings. “A 20 percent cut means cutting complaints considerably.” According to Rahman, pilgrims are categorized according to the proximity of their accommodation to the Grand Mosque. About 42,500 pilgrims in the green category will be accommodated close to the Haram, while the rest are in the Aziziya category. The consul said the selection of buildings in Madinah has also been completed. A four-member delegation from the Indian Central Haj Committee visited Madinah on July 14 to finalize the selection of buildings. The delegation was led by committee Chairman Qaiser Shamim. “The committee has chosen 10 housing groups in Madinah. Some of these groups consist of 5,000 housing units while the others comprise 10,000 and even 20,000 units,” he said. In Makkah individual owners rent out buildings to pilgrims unlike Madinah where housing groups do this. The delegation expressed satisfaction over the elaborate arrangements for Haj made by the consulate. Regarding pilgrims' transportation this year, Rahman said both Air India and Saudi Arabian Airlines would operate flights. He said: “We have almost reached an agreement with the Indian and Saudi national carriers. “We strive to organize Haj flights in a much better way after learning lessons from mistakes made in the past. “If the arrival of pilgrims is in Madinah, then their departure will be from Jeddah and vice versa.” Rahman noted that the consulate introduced last year many new high-tech services for pilgrims and there will be efforts to improve them this year. He said: “Last year, we supplied STC SIM cards to pilgrims at their embarkation points. “This year, Mobily cards will be provided with all the important phone numbers in Makkah and Madinah.” He added that the consulate has mobilized about 700 staffers in Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah to carry out Haj-related work.
