MAKKAH, 13 November 2006 — The mayor’s office in the holy city of Makkah has urged landlords who intend to rent out accommodation to Haj pilgrims to ensure they complete all formalities in acquiring the relevant licenses at the earliest.
The mayor’s office said that licenses would only be issued after inspection teams sent by the Haj Housing Committee are satisfied that the buildings fulfill all stipulated health and safety regulations. The office warned that the committee will only be able to do its work properly and issue licenses if landlords apply sufficiently in advance.
Zuhayr Haddad, head of the Haj Housing Committee, said several teams have been sent to various districts in order to verify whether the facilities meet health and safety regulations or not.
He said that 1,627 new licenses and 724 renewed licenses have already been issued in various districts of the holy city. These buildings have a capacity to accommodate a total of 100,000 pilgrims, the official said.
The Ministry of Haj has said that extensive efforts over the past years coupled with strict implementation of laws have helped improve housing conditions for pilgrims.
Pilgrims may file complaints on housing conditions during their stay in Makkah and every single case will be documented and investigated. Violators of regulations governing pilgrims’ accommodation face penalties including fines and jail terms and in the event of repeated violations the landlords will have their licenses revoked.
About two million Muslims perform the annual pilgrimage each year and need to be housed over a limited period of time not exceeding a few weeks in the holy city.
