MAKKAH, 2 January 2006 — Despite official claims that all arrangements are in place and the Haj operation is going smoothly, some Indian pilgrims after being deprived of water for three days in Aziziah here gave vent to their anger by attacking a branch office of their Haj Mission over the weekend.
The attack resulted in destroying computers and printers, and furnishings of the mission. One of the printers was thrown out through a window with its broken glass panes injuring a pilgrim’s eyes, according to witnesses.
“We had no other course left,” a middle-aged pilgrim said without disclosing his name. “What will you do with my name. Let our mission officials wake up and do something to restore water supply and streamline the transport system for us camping away from the Grand Mosque,” he added.
Inquiries with pilgrims in Aziziah showed that those residing in building No. 692 had repeatedly complained to the Indian officials about their suffering caused by the absence of water supply. “We had to go to the Holy Haram early in the morning without a wash. We thought our complaints would be attended to by the time we returned. But we found that our complaints fell on deaf ears,” another pilgrim, identified as Muhammad, said. “What’s more, our mission officials did not even care to visit our building to know the ground reality.”
Some pilgrims said that since they were not given accommodation in Aziziah, they were staying inside the Holy Haram itself.
“We’ve been accommodated in buildings that are only partially completed,” Abdul Mohsin Alam, a pilgrim from Uttar Pradesh said. Some such pilgrims are staying in building No. 709, which is incomplete.
“While water supply is non-existent for pilgrims from the Aziziah buildings, their transport arrangements have also gone haywire,” another pilgrim said. “Reaching the Holy Haram from Aziziah has become a big problem for us, as there is hardly any bus service for us. Our Indian Haj mission had claimed that there would be a bus for us every three minutes, but we’re made to wait for hours together,” he said.
“What’s more, although the buildings are new in Aziziah, the facilities inside are questionable, including cots, mattresses and sheets. The cots are old and the bedsheets soiled,” Ibrahim Kunhi Muhammad, a 40-year-old pilgrim from Kerala, said.
Thirty-six buses have been pressed into service for international pilgrims camping in buildings in Aziziah.
These pilgrims are from Indonesia, Iraq, Turkey, and India. The contracted service providers organize the bus service.
Official sources say that this is the first time that Indian pilgrims are camping in Aziziah, which is 5 km from the Holy Haram. The Indian mission rented eight buildings here to accommodate some 12,000 pilgrims who were included after the official list of 82,000 pilgrims coming through the Haj Committee of India was finalized.
“New arrangements had to be made for the additional pilgrims and that is how we accommodated them in Aziziah, as there was no accommodation available near the Grand Mosque,” an Indian official said. “In fact, we succeeded in finding accommodation in Aziziah only recently.”
Indian Consul General Dr. Ausaf Sayeed confirmed that one particular building had water problem after the motor pumping the supply broke down.
“The building owner arranged for another motor but that too conked out. Subsequently, water was supplied through tankers,” he said.
“There is no problem with the transport arrangement,” he said, adding that 36 buses are plying from Aziziah for pilgrims camping from different countries including Iran, Bahrain, and Qatar.
