Interior Minister Prince Muhammad bin Naif said Saturday that liquified petroleum gas (LPG) will continue to be banned from the holy sites this year and that violators would be fined up to SR30,000.
He said security agencies would inspect pilgrim tents and camps in the holy sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah to ensure there were no gas cylinders and gas cookers.
“The ban is applicable to all pilgrims, Haj service agents, government departments and even charitable societies participating in the annual pilgrimage,” Prince Muhammad said.
Col. Abdullah Al-Harithi, spokesman of the Civil Defense Department, said the ban on the use of cooking gas in the holy sites in the past years has been instrumental in reducing the number of fire accidents during Haj.
He said that security officials were authorized to check pilgrim camps and tents for gas cylinders. They can also seize gas cylinders and impose fines of up to SR30,000 on violators.
Al-Harithi urged Tawafa organizations, domestic Haj service providers and government departments to implement the ban strictly for the safety and security of pilgrims.
Meanwhile, Deputy Haj Minister Hatim Qadi inspected the pilgrims’ reception center at Prince Muhammad International Airport in Madinah on Friday. He also visited the pilgrims’ accommodation in the holy city.
Qadi was accompanied by Muhammad Al-Baijawi, director of the ministry’s office in Madinah, and Yousuf Hawala, president of the Guides Organization. Qadi said 300 teams have been deployed to inspect the buildings for housing pilgrims in Makkah.
In a related development, Raafat bin Ismail Badr, president of the Tawafa Organization for South Asian Pilgrims, said he would host nearly 400,000 pilgrims this year. The organization has 115 field service offices.
Last Wednesday, Qadi visited the camps of Bangladeshi pilgrims in Misfala.
The pilgrim housing committee has licensed 5,456 buildings in Makkah to accommodate 1.5 million pilgrims this year. “There are 203 new buildings which can house 77,000 people,” said Zuhair Haddad, head of the committee.
Pilgrims warned against use of gas stoves
