MAKKAH: There are too few officials employed to monitor illegal price hikes in the country, according to Saleh Al-Khaleel, Assistant Undersecretary for Consumer Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. He said a toll-free number has now been set up so that citizens and expatriates can be the “eyes” of the ministry by reporting any violations. Following a meeting with the Board of Directors of the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) Tuesday night, Al-Khaleel said the toll-free number has resulted in a great deal of interaction with citizens and expatriates, who have helped the ministry manage supervision over commercial enterprises. He said the number of supervisors have been increased to 50 this year. Talal Mirza, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the MCCI, said the meeting between the MCCI Board and the Assistant Undersecretary for Consumer Affairs, also discussed proposals to improve services for Haj and Umrah pilgrims. “We requested the ministry to create temporary visas for seasonal workers so we could recruit them to work in the services authorities in Makkah. They would then have to depart after completing their work during the Haj season. This would help reduce the number of workers violating residency (Iqama) regulations.” The proposed period for such seasonal temporary workers would be four months. It would allow recruitment bodies to train these workers.
