Supreme panel to study proposals to make Haj sites disabled-friendly

Source: flickr

Supreme panel to study proposals to make Haj sites disabled-friendly

Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy premier, minister of interior and chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee, has issued directives to study the recommendations made by the Ministry of Haj and Umrah on facilitating matters for the disabled to use utilities in Makkah, Madinah and the holy sites.

The recommendations were referred to the crown prince by Makkah Emir Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, adviser to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and chairman of the Central Haj Committee.

The recommendations call for making utilities, buildings and hotels in the two holy cities and the ritual sites disabled-friendly to serve people with special needs. They will be tabled for discussion during the forthcoming meeting of the Supreme Haj Committee.

The recommendations include preparing the services utilities in the holy sites in the first stage to facilitate the movement of people with physical disabilities.

The following stages will cover the infrastructure including the rehabilitation of the roads and streets in the holy sites, the train stations and the Jamarat Bridge as per international standards. The objective is to facilitate the movement of people with special needs.

Special blocks will be allocated for Tawafa establishments and domestic pilgrim companies to serve the disabled. Special restrooms will be allocated for them in camps at the holy sites. Signs will be placed to guide them to the special utilities and facilities for their use.

The recommendations also include providing the required number of buses within the Haj fleet to meet their needs. It should be made compulsory for Haj affairs offices to provide the ministry with the number of pilgrims with special needs annually well in time to make the necessary arrangements. The aim is to make sure Haj affairs offices provide staff to accompany and help the disabled pilgrims who are not accompanied by relatives or other aides.

All the utilities, facilities, buildings and hotels where Haj and Umrah pilgrims stay or use should be prepared in such a way that people with special needs will not face any difficulty in movement in all Haj sites.

A specialist agency should be assigned to study the current accomplishments made in this regard and how far the forthcoming stages will be benefited from following their completion.

The aim is to boost the positive aspects and detect the negative aspects and observations. Any unforeseen shortcomings shall be dealt with immediately.

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Source: saudigazette.com.sa

Over 600,000 pilgrims to visit Madinah before Haj

Over 600,000 pilgrims to visit Madinah before Haj

MAKKAH — More than 600,000 pilgrims are expected to visit Madinah to pay homage to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and pray at his mosque, according to Hatim Qadi, spokesman for the Ministry of Haj 2016 and Umrah 2016.

He said the pilgrims started arriving in Madinah on Thursday. “On that day, 60 Haj flights landed at Prince Muhammad Bin Abdul Aziz International Airport in Madinah,” he added.

The spokesman said 14 lounges have been prepared at the airport to receive the pilgrims who will be served by 42 passport counters.

Qadi said all government and private establishments are geared to receive the pilgrims and provide them with the best services that will help them perform their acts of worship in peace and comfort.

He explained that nine establishments are providing services to the pilgrims. Representatives of six Tawafa establishments, the Unified Zamzam Office in Makkah, the Unified Office of Agents receive them on arrival at the entry points, in addition to the Establishment of Guides in Madinah.

Qadi said the number of pilgrims this year is expected to be similar to last year as the cut in the quota system is still being applied.

Since the 2013 Haj, the Saudi government has decided to enforce a reduction in the number of pilgrims permitted for each country under a quota system approved by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to allow expansion work at the Grand Mosque in Makkah.

The request to reduce the number of pilgrims from abroad by a fifth and from inside the country by half was approved by the OIC and the country’s religious leadership. The Supreme Judicial Council said the reduction in pilgrim numbers was legitimate to ensure safety while work was carried out to allow more pilgrims in future.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Haj and Umrah announced on Sunday that the electronic registration of domestic pilgrims is continuing smoothly after a delay of two days during which many pilgrims were not able to access the service.

The ministry said the fault in the system resulted from heavy pressure because a large number of people attempted to register at the same time.
The ministry said more than 30,000 pilgrims have registered so far.

Source: saudigazette.com.sa