DAMMAM, 7 January 2004 — The King Fahd Causeway Authority has finalized arrangements for Haj pilgrims coming by road from Bahrain. The director of the authority, Mutlaq Al-Otaibi, said that all preparations have been completed and the authority is committed to facilitating their short stop on the bridge.
Every year thousands of Bahraini pilgrims travel across the causeway to Makkah. This year there could be an increase of 10 percent Haj traffic on the causeway.
The immigration authorities on the Saudi side have also made special arrangement to expedite the processing of Haj pilgrims. “There will be special counters for pilgrims so that they will not have to wait long to get clearance,” said an immigration official at the bridge. The customs department is putting up additional forces and extra X-ray machines.
Security around the causeway, especially on the man-made island which houses immigration and customs of both the countries, has been tightened and additional security personnel have been deployed.
Al-Otaibi said that the authority has set up several resting tents for pilgrims. There will be water and refreshments. The Ministry of Health will also set up special centers to screen pilgrims for communicable diseases like SARS and meningitis. In addition to this, health professionals will be ready to provide medical assistance to the pilgrims.
The Eastern Province is the main entry point for pilgrims coming by road from the GCC countries and Iran. Every year thousands of pilgrims from the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait enter the province on their way to Makkah and Madinah. Pilgrims from the UAE and Qatar enter at Sila, nearly 250 km from Ahsa and then travel via Hofuf to Riyadh and onward. Pilgrims from Kuwait enter at Khafji.
