MAKKAH: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal launched the third phase of a major Haj awareness campaign here on Saturday, urging foreign Haj missions to do more to ensure their pilgrims follow safety instructions and the Kingdom’s regulations.

The media campaign, which began two years ago, has been successful in reducing the number of pilgrims squatting in public places by 70 percent, especially among pilgrims who come from outside Makkah.

However, Saudi employee Shaker Angawi voiced his fears over whether the growing charges imposed by Haj service companies, ranging between SR2,000 and SR10,000, would undermine the “No Haj Without Permit” campaign.

“This amount is very high and many people will not be able to afford it, especially those Saudis and expatriates who want to perform Haj with their family members,” Angawi told Arab News.

Prince Khaled said the government would continue the campaign over the coming years to put an end to the trend of pilgrims squatting.

“The use of Haj permits will have a great impact on the successful implementation of the government’s Haj plan,” the governor told the gathering, also attended by Haj Minister Fouad Al-Farsy. “It will give us the exact number of people performing the Haj and make preparations for their housing, food and transportation accordingly,” he said. Prince Khaled thanked all employees and officials involved in making the Haj operation a big success, especially Haj Ministry officials and security officers. The governor urged pilgrims to focus their attention on worship, prayers and meditation and respect the Kingdom’s regulations.

“The rules and regulations are set for the benefit of pilgrims and not to put restrictions on them,” he said. Prince Khaled acknowledged that eradicating pilgrims squatting in public places during Haj was not an easy task. Abdul Aziz Al-Rashid, who organizes domestic Haj trips, called for an intensive campaign in all the Kingdom’s regions to enlighten the public on the need to obtain Haj permits before proceeding to the holy sites. He also called for a balanced Haj service fare that would not harm operators as well as pilgrims. He also called for establishing camps that could accommodate a large number of pilgrims at lower rates.

These camps, Al-Rashid believed, would be the answer to pilgrims squatting in public places, adding that they should be supervised by the Haj Ministry and Ministry of Interior.