Faisal, Emir of Makkah, Chairman of the Central Haj Committee and Chairman of the Higher Commission for Monitoring the Transportation of Pilgrims, said that the holy sites' projects have been a resounding success during a tour on Saturday. Prince Khaled said this year huge projects were accomplished to benefit citizens and expatriates. Among the most important projects carried out was the Holy Sites Train Project. Even though it will only operate at 30 percent of its capacity, it will have a major effect on services for pilgrims. Also, the final stage of the Jamarat Bridge has been completed, as well as the rainwater and floodwater drainage projects in Makkah and the holy sites which were effective in draining away recent rainfall. This was an indication of the success of these projects, he said. Among the completed initiatives is the air ambulance project of the Red Crescent Authority in the Kingdom. There is also the car parking lots project carried out by the Ministry of Transport in the Green Valley (Al-Wadi Al-Akhdar) and Dugm Al-Wabar, and the dual carriageway road project at the gateway to Arafat via Al-Sayl Road. Prince Khaled said all the work at the terminals of King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah has been completed to speed up airport procedures and transport arrangements. He said the Saudi Red Crescent Authority has constructed landing pads for Red Crescent planes in Al-Muwaih, Wadi Qudaid, Al-Shumaisi and Al-Leeth. The Emir said there has been a successful running of the awareness information campaign launched under the title “Haj is worship and civilized conduct” over the past two years. He expressed his hope that it would achieve further success this Haj. He said there have been 112,000 Haj permits issued this year, compared to 51,000 for the same period during previous years. He said this indicates the success of the campaign and the increasing cooperation of citizens and expatriates. He expressed his wish that all pilgrims would cooperate by not squatting or sleeping outdoors and that the concerned government agencies would find effective solutions to this phenomenon. As for the increase in the capacity of Mina, Prince Khaled said ideas and studies have been presented for royal approval. They have been discussed by the Board of Senior Scholars (Ulema) and would be completed soon. Prince Khaled said many projects have been carried out in Makkah to counter rain and flood hazards. Also, preparations have been made to face any flood emergency. He added there will be coordination between the Holy Sites Train and shuttle transport to serve the pilgrims and facilitate their movement between the holy sites. Prince Khaled's tour covered the services center of the shuttle transportation system for the pilgrims of Iran and non-Arab African countries. He patronized the project's inauguration ceremony and was briefed on the available services and the entire plan. The total number of pilgrims to be transported this year using the system will total 780,000. About 44,000 pilgrims will board the buses every hour and the travel time between Arafat and Muzdalifa will be reduced from five hours to 20 minutes. Prince Khaled also toured Station No.1 of the Holy Sites Train in Arafat. He traveled on the train through all the stations in Arafat and Muzdalifa ending at Jamarat Station No.1 in Mina. He then carried out an inspection of the forth tier of the Jamarat Bridge and saw the canopies to protect the pilgrims from the sun. He also inspected the helipads for the Saudi Red Crescent. Pilgrims will enjoy free wireless Internet access. Prince Khaled was briefed on Mobily's free “WiFi” offered to all telecom subscribers. Mobily's team at the holy sites presented a live demo on the free WiFi which covers the entire holy sites. The company said that it has fully prepared all the technical requirements needed to guarantee quick and effective Internet access. Subscribers only need to search for “ Mobily” network and then they can open their own Internet browser which directly leads to registration (for free). After inserting the user's mobile number including the international, users will receive an sms with the pin number and then they can start using the free Internet. At the end of the tour, Prince Khaled thanked King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques; the Crown Prince; and the Second Deputy Premier, Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee for their work to complete Haj-related projects. At the headquarters of the emirate in Muzdalifa, the Emir chaired a meeting of the Central Haj Committee and discussed a number of subjects related to Haj. The participants in the meeting also reviewed the preparations and arrangements made for the stay of pilgrims and movement between the holy sites.
