Abdeen, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and a supervisor of major developmental projects, has revealed plans to increase Mina's accommodation capacity to three million pilgrims. The plan includes the setting up of two-story tents on the slopes of the northern hills in Mina with the already existing fireproof tents remaining untouched due to the limited area of the valley. Al-Abdeen also says that work on the monorail train project will begin as soon as it has been tendered to one of the companies which have already given quotations. The ministry took the decision to build two-story tents on the slopes rather than in the valley due to the limited area of the valley. Another reason, he adds, was that the Board of Senior Ulema did not approve of any change in the shape of the existing tents in the valley. A comparative study was conducted between the tents and residential buildings which said that the buildings should not exceed ten floors.” The “double-decker” tents will give more space than the residential buildings which require lifts and emergency exits as well prayer-grounds and dining rooms. “Someone in a residential building a person requires more space, whereas in tents an individual only needs one sixth of the area he needs in buildings. Needless to say, this will enable us to build as many tents as we can which provides space for hundreds of thousands of pilgrims.” According to Al-Abdeen, King Abdullah is against the idea of high buildings in Mina so we have taken the decision to build double-decker tents on the slopes of Mina to house 1.5 million pilgrims. Housing capacity will rise to three million pilgrims and some of the tents will be devoted to staff working in Haj to provide services to pilgrims. When completed, the plans will be submitted to the King for the final go-ahead for the project. Existing tents in Mina, he says, have a lifespan of 50 years with maintenance and proper care. Habeeb Zain Al-Abdeen addresses these and other issues in the following interview: Q: What will the grouping plan be for this year, and how will Tawafa companies that fail to adhere to the grouping programs be dealt with? A: We try to deal with the Tawafa establishments in a sensible manner. This year we had them take part in the drawing up of timetables for pilgrim groups and setting out suitable times. We believe this to be the appropriate way to let Tawafa establishments realize the importance of the timetables in organizing the ascent. We and the Ministry of Haj have also mobilized 1000 people to monitor grouping schedules and help avoid errors made by pilgrims or the Mutawwif. Our observations will be passed on to the Ministry of Haj to ensure adherence to timetables and deal with any infractions. Q: Are the holy sites safe from the dangers of flooding? A: The holy sites are fully protected from floods. We are in the process of completing a comprehensive storm water drainage network and flood channels in Muzdalifa, and we are working on the last two phases to link the network to Arafat. Next year work on the entire network will be completed at a cost of SR1.2 billion. Q: How far has the train project for the holy sites come, and what difficulties confront it? A: The train project started a year ago with a study by a local consultant and authorities at the Civil Defense, Public Security, Ministry of Haj, the General Secretariat of Makkah Mayoralty and the Commission for the Development of Makkah and the Holy Sites. The King instructed the formation of a committee formed by officials from the ministries of Interior, Municipal and Rural Affairs, and Haj. The committee suggested that multinational companies look at the project and the contract was in the end awarded to a French company which submitted the first developmental study, then it was offered in a public bid. The major idea of the project is to set up five lines for the transportation of pilgrims within the holy sites, and not only to Makkah. The first south railway line will transport citizens and residents making the pilgrimage due to the concentration of more than 35,000 vehicles which create traffic jams in the area. The line will not serve as a substitute for cars, as three parking lots are to be built opposite the holy sites, with space for 50,000 cars, in Mina, Muzdalifa and Arafat, providing parking for pilgrims coming via Taif. Pilgrims coming from Jeddah will be diverted to the parking lot in Dughm Al-Wabr near Muzdalifa where they will then take the train to the holy sites, reducing the number of cars at the holy sites. All pilgrims will use the train for movement within the holy sites. On completing the rituals they will return to the parking lots served by the train stations. Umrah performers will also benefit during Ramadan when more than three million Muslims come from around the world.
