Haj pilgrims to be allotted more space

The Ministry of Haj has approved the decision to increase areas allocated to accommodate pilgrims in Arafat and Mina camps during the upcoming Haj season, according to Haj Minister Bandar Hajar.
“This increase will not exceed 25 percent of the space allocated to each pilgrim,” he said.
The latest decision comes within the framework of the move to reduce the number of external pilgrims by 20 percent due to the expansion work taking place in the Mataf and the greater expansions to the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque.
“In the past we allocated a space of three meters for each pilgrim in Arafat and 160 meters in Mina,” he said.
The ministry has no intention of changing or altering the land allocation mechanism in Mina and Arafat, in accordance with demands from Tawafa establishments or domestic pilgrim companies, he said. 
Hajar stressed that the approved mechanism of land distribution is the one that has been used in previous years, which is a developed and effective one. It achieves the goals of the ministry and will not be replaced with another system. It will still be in use during the coming pilgrimage season.
He said increasing pilgrims’ space allocations is done according to the space distribution mechanism in Mina and Arafat. Allocations will be distributed to Tawafa establishments and domestic Haj companies, and will be implemented during the current Haj season.
He said that follow-up and control field teams in the ministry filed some negative notes on a number of Umrah service companies. However, these companies were not subjected to statutory punishments, closure or financial fines during the current Umrah season, which is about to end, because of their triviality. 
“Umrah companies carried out their duty and provided a high level of services to pilgrims, thanks to the continuous supervision of their performance, and the fruitful cooperation with government agencies. The combined efforts led to a successful Umrah season,” he added.
He said the ministry will move to its new headquarters in Al-Hamrah in Makkah, in February next year. The new headquarters comprise nine buildings and plans are under way to house the ministry’s employees in three of the buildings, until the project is completed.
Hajar said the government agencies concerned with grouping pilgrims have devised plans to ensure the smooth transportation of the guests of God and avoid congestion and overcrowding, which is what happened during the previous Haj season. All government agencies are set to participate in a workshop to discuss grouping and transportation of pilgrims in the coming weeks.