New plan helps control crowds at Haram

By MUHAMMAD HUMAIDAN | ARAB NEWS

JEDDAH: The introduction of an executive plan map during the Umrah season was instrumental in helping control huge crowds of worshippers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, according to an undersecretary at the Haj Research Institute.

“Crowd management at the Grand Mosque during Ramadan, especially on the 27th night of the holy month, was a huge success compared to previous years,” Muhammad Idris told Arab News. He said the map helped those managing crowds take quick action when necessary. He commended security officers for their tremendous efforts in managing crowds inside and outside the large mosque complex, which can accommodate more than a million worshippers at a time on its different floors.

“The success of their efforts was quite evident everywhere, be it inside the mosque or the central region of Makkah,” Idris said. Previously, crowd management was facilitated by the Presidency for the Two Holy Mosques Affairs.

Special security forces have been deployed inside and outside the mosque to prevent people from sitting in the pathways, control entry and exit of worshippers and ensure a smooth flow of people.

Idris said a number of workshops on crowd management have been conducted under the supervision of Second Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Prince Naif and Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal.

Meanwhile, Abdul Mohsen Bin-Humaid, director of projects at the presidency, said the completion of the masaa (the running area between Safa and Marwah) expansion project this year helped pilgrims to perform the sa’ie ritual easily and comfortably despite the huge crowds.

He said the tracks for pilgrims in wheelchairs in the first and second floors have been made separate from regular pedestrians. There are special lifts near the masaa to take these pilgrims to the first and second floors and back.

Comments

YOUSUF

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Pls can you provide us with E-mail details for Hajj research institute, so that we can send them some suggestion to them, which might be helpfull to them. Yousuf

AHMED

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Yeah Yeah... typical self-congratulations all around. While overall things seem to be improving, some things that have worked well and should be perfected (like the Kuday bus run under ZamZam Towers) was ABSOLUTELY USELESS to which words cannot describe. Total chaos, police officers sat by idly observing madness with people running wild on the roads vying to jump into busses, no busses could move as tunnel road was overrun, passengers fighting on a bus with a police officer standing next to them standing silent - USELESS USELESS USELESS - 5-10 minute journey to parking took about an hour. Lessons: Systems, Discipline and Accountabilty - Something Saudi Arabia has a LONG LONG WAY TO ACHIEVE.

AZHAR

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I read the news to control crowd and feeling profound pleasure in saying Allah bless long life to our King and his team who dedicate for the welfare of zaireen. (ameen)

AMER SIDDIQUI

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Really great efforts and planning by the authorities to regularize things to accomadate million people.

OMAR

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This improvement is really welcome. May Allah reward all those involved in developing the plan. The one area that really needs attention to be made more efficient is the simplification of the process of moving the Hujjaj from Jeddah to Makkah upon arrival, as well as the movement of the Hujjaj between Makkah and Madinah. The trip from Jeddah to Makkah takes several frustrating hours after another frustrating wait at the Hajj Terminal in Jeddah. For people coming from far away places like the United States, all this is after a long journey of about 30 hours or more. Many Hujjaj end up loosing their patience in the first day, and many also get sick because their bodies get weak after all these long and stressful hours. The result is that they start their Hajj stay with a sickness that they pass to others with all the negative consequences that follow. Private buses and taxis should be allowed to transport the Hujjaj from Jeddah to Makkah, and the passport formalities need to be simplified and taken care of between the Hajj group leaders and the Immigration Services in a more efficient way that should shield the Hujjaj from grievances inherent to this process. Sensitivity to time is also an aspect that should be a main training topic to all people involved in Hajj services. If this is implemented, inshaAllah it will be in addition to the many great services and achievements of the Hajj ministry. May Allah (swt) accept from all.
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