Mohsina Kidwai, chairperson for the Haj Committee of India (HCI), reviewed preparations for the Indian Haj pilgrims during her three-day visit to Saudi Arabia which ended Sunday. The pilgrims started arriving yesterday.
She visited Makkah last Friday and inspected buildings to check readiness and other logistics. She held discussions with Consul General Faiz Ahmad Kidwai and other officials on various aspects of Haj preparations.
On Saturday, she visited Madinah to evaluate numerous measures put in place for the welfare of Indian pilgrims. She was in Jeddah Sunday to oversee arrangements for ferrying the pilgrims to Makkah.
While expressing satisfaction over the arrangements, she instructed all Indian officials to serve pilgrims with sincerity and dedication and no stone should be left unturned for the service and welfare of pilgrims. She appreciated the services provided by the government of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for the welfare of the pilgrims.
In all, 479 buildings have been booked to accommodate 125,000 pilgrims coming through the HCI. About 45,000 additional pilgrims will come through private tour operators.
As far as medical services to the pilgrims are concerned, the services extended by Indian Haj Mission, which include comprehensive lab testing, basic investigations, radiographic investigation and ultrasonography, etc., are regarded as among the best and well organized services.
Besides a 60-bed hospital in Makkah which is set up every year, one more 30-bed hospital will be operational in the Aziziah area of Makkah to meet the medical requirement of about 65,000 pilgrims who will be staying in the Aziziah area. Aside from these two hospitals, 11 branch dispensaries will also be functioning. In Madinah, one main dispensary and five branch dispensaries have been set up.
Special care will be taken of High Risk Groups (pilgrims above 70 years of age) by preparing FIR for them on their arrival and maintaining proper records of their health condition. They will receive frequent check-ups and their conditions will be monitored constantly.
This year the new steps taken to upgrade services further include a new agency which will supply new bed sheets, pillow covers, buckets, mug, broom-brush, brush with pan and toilet brush.
A well-known agency has been engaged to provide cleaning/plumbing services and other repair services of air-conditioners, lift, etc., in an emergency. It will also arrange supply of water through tankers to buildings in special cases. Gas cylinders will be refilled by the branch offices.
Indian pilgrims will be provided Saudi Telecom Company’s SIM cards before they leave India, which would be pre-loaded with contact numbers of officials of the consulate. The pilgrim’s relatives will have the Saudi contact number of the pilgrim in advance.
Arrangements for transporting pilgrims around the clock from their buildings in Aziziah to the Grand Mosque and back have been made. As offices of Moallims are located on the outskirts, space has been provided in the Haj mission’s office in Makkah and one of the buildings in Aziziah for their representatives, so that pilgrims could have easy access to their respective Moallims.
In the interest of smooth movement of pilgrims (Mina-Arafat-Muzdfalifah-Mina), demand for providing train facilities to the pilgrims in the Mashaer region was made at various levels in the Ministry of Haj and other offices.
Any complaint lodged by a pilgrim at the mission’s branch office will be uploaded instantly. There will be constant monitoring to ensure complaints are attended to for prompt action.
Haj facilities for Indian pilgrims ‘satisfactory’
