JEDDAH, 7 December — The Haj Ministry has started employing the use of video cameras to uncover irregularities in the Umrah industry.
Muhammad Bantan, deputy minister for Umrah affairs at the Haj ministry, said the ministry will launch inquiries into complaints lodged against Umrah companies before the end of December. Most such charges relate to visas and breach of clauses guaranteeing that accommodation will be provided for all pilgrims. Video evidence will be provided for the first time as documentary evidence.
Bantan said the inspection teams of the ministry will take videos of pilgrims sleeping on pavements and their statements will be recorded. Penal action will be taken against the companies only after the pilgrims have departed.
The deputy minister said that foreign pilgrims will have to leave the Kingdom at entry points at which they entered it. Any change in the departure point can be made only with the permission of the Haj ministry. Bantan made this clear when it was brought to his attention that several pilgrims who entered at Jeddah Islamic port reportedly changed their exit point to Al-Aqaba port in the north of the Kingdom.
However, those pilgrims whose request for a different exit point before their arrival in the Kingdom are exempted from the new rule.
Bantan added that the number of pilgrims this season had exceeded the expectations of the ministry. While the ministry expected only 1.2 million pilgrims, their numbers have already reached 1.8 million. The Jeddah port receives 11,000 pilgrims every day, he added.
The new arrangements will bring to an end the common practice of pilgrims sleeping on sidewalks.
The ministry has also started receiving financial guarantees for domestic Haj pilgrims this year. The guarantee is SR200 for each pilgrim.
