Monday, July 23, 2018

By Abdullah Al-Dahhas

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

MAKKAH — Minister of Haj and Umrah Mohammed Saleh Benten has denied reports that the ministry has stopped receiving Haj applications from prospective pilgrims within the Kingdom.

"There is no truth whatsoever to these reports. We have launched investigations to find out where such messages have stemmed from," he said.

Benten said the ministry's e-portal was still receiving applications for Haj from the domestic pilgrims and this would continue until Aug. 18.

He said the ministry had handed over Haj companies serving domestic pilgrims sites in Mina to prepare their tents long before the Haj season began.

He asked the companies to present the ministry with the contracts of their rented housing units for approval before Aug. 7.

Mohammed Bin Saad Al-Qurashi, member of the coordination council of the domestic Haj companies, said 216,000 places were still available in the low-cost and the facilitated pilgrimage categories.

"The reservation, the payment of fees and the issuance of the Haj permits are automatically done through the ministry's e-portal," Al-Qurashi said. He urged the pilgrims to pay the fees within a maximum of 48 hours of confirming the reservation.

Director General of Passports Maj. Gen. Sulaiman Al-Yahya on Sunday inspected the passport desks at the Haj Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah on Sunday. He said the passport authorities had completed all arrangements to receive and see off the guests of God at the airports and other entry points well in advance.

Al-Yahya has just returned from Kuala Lumpur where he reviewed the "Makkah Road" project, which enables pilgrims from Malaysia and Indonesia to complete the immigration procedures at their embarkation points back home and immediately proceed to Makkah or Madinah upon arrival in the Kingdom.

"We have provided advanced technological equipment to discover cases of forgery and to process the passports in a record short time," he said.

Al-Yahya asked the passport staff to expedite the processing the passports of pilgrims so as to reduce their waiting time at the airport.

Meanwhile, Assistant Director of the Passport Department in Madinah Col. Hisham Al-Raddadi said Prince Muhammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport receives 85 to 90 pilgrim flights daily.

"We are working in unison with all concerned government and private bodies to welcome and the guests of God and see them off to their places of accommodation," he said.

Source: http://saudigazette.com.sa/article/539654/SAUDI-ARABIA/Haj-minister-denies-stopping-domestic-pilgrim-registration