RIYADH, 8 February 2003 — Thursday’s agony turned into ecstasy for some 380 prospective pilgrims yesterday when the Saudi sponsor who had kept them waiting all day finally showed up with their Haj permits after being released by the police on payment of a fine.
Ahmed Kutty of Shamsul Huda Haj Group told Arab News that 120 of the stranded pilgrims had canceled their Haj program and claimed refunds. The remaining 380 or so were set to leave at 8 p.m. tonight for Makkah in 40 chartered buses. He said the problem was created by new arrivals in the Kingdom who wanted to perform Haj without valid documents.
This is the latest episode in a series of irregularities and violations by Haj agencies. Khaled Al-Salimi, director of the department for domestic pilgrims, said his ministry suspended the services of more than 25 agents for breach of regulations.
He said the department had received complaints against 60 out of a total of 415 agencies over administrative and operational matters. A three-member committee comprising officials from the ministries of Haj, interior and commerce had been set up to examine the issue and formulate a set of recommendations. Those found guilty would be liable for fines ranging from SR5,000 to SR20,000.
Meanwhile, pilgrims point out that the linking of Haj permits to contracts with Haj service organizations has encouraged many operators to increase service charges arbitrarily. Operators say their charges range from SR2,000 to SR3,000 for Haj permits and transportation, food and accommodation.
A Haj service operator sought to reassure prospective pilgrims that the ministry’s regulations greatly helped in preventing malpractice. For instance, companies involved in the transportation of pilgrims have to produce bank guarantees of up to SR 200,000 to ensure that they fulfill their contractual obligations. The regulations, containing 36 clauses, also determine the extent of fines for infringement of the rules.
He said the Saudi agency representing the transport company is also required to provide an unconditional bank guarantee ranging from SR 100,000 to SR 200,000, to be executed in favor of the Haj ministry which, in coordination with the Presidency of Civil Aviation, determines the number of pilgrims each agency will handle.
