JEDDAH, 12 November 2004 — The Ministry of Haj has threatened to punish 20 Umrah companies for violating their contractual obligations with pilgrims from outside the Kingdom. The ministry said that some of these firms may face suspension from operation while others could have their licenses revoked.
Local agents are obliged to look after the pilgrims’ accommodation and transportation between Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah and must ensure the pilgrims in their charge return to their respective countries at the end of their Umrah visa period.
Two million Muslims are expected to visit the Kingdom annually to perform Umrah under a new system introduced a few years ago.
Over the past two years scores of the 137 firms established to serve the pilgrims have been fined while some were shut down for committing serious breaches of their contractual obligations.
Ever since the start of Ramadan the Ministry of Haj has been struggling with the problem of thousands of pilgrim squatters who cram the courtyards and open grounds surrounding the Grand Mosque in Makkah.
Deputy Minister for Umrah Affairs, Dr. Eisa Rawas, said they had to relocate 10,000 squatters during the past weeks after they had been left by their local agents without accommodation. They have been moved to hotels across Makkah.
The ministry transfers the responsibility of looking after the pilgrims who have been left unattended by their Umrah establishments to other organizations with the cost of services they provide deducted from deposits made by the erring organizations.
Other violations the ministry alleged against the firms include failure to provide adequate services and the chaos associated with arrival and return flights carrying the pilgrims.
The new Umrah regulations are intended to put an end to the problem of overstayers. Thousands of pilgrims stay behind after the expiry of their Umrah visa to look for work or remain in the Kingdom till Haj. Umrah visas are issued to transit passengers provided they have a confirmed booking for their onward journey and an agreement with a licensed firm.
Foreign pilgrims are issued visas allowing them to stay up to one month in the country provided they come through authorized Saudi agents who operate in cooperation with local tour operators in foreign countries.
In the first year after the system came into effect, the ministry either closed or fined 25 Umrah companies which were found guilty of breaching their contractual obligations with foreign pilgrims or involved in shady dealings such as selling visas at an inflated price. The following year 14 organizations were suspended.
The Passports Department has refused to waive fines worth SR10 million it had imposed on Umrah companies for violating the regulations.
Dr. Rawas said they are closely monitoring the performance of the local agents to ensure pilgrims receive proper service. He said the ministry would announce the final findings of its investigations on the performance of these firms after the end of the season before the advent of Haj, which this year starts in earnest on Jan. 19.
The Umrah service companies, meanwhile, complain about heavy losses as a result of the fraudulent practices of their foreign agents and of being penalized for the negligence on the part of those agents.
The practices alleged by these companies relate to clearance receipts for issuance of visas which they say are sometimes issued before the completion of procedures and payment of fees to these companies with foreign agents shifting from one Saudi firm to another.
Another problem faced by these service companies is the failure on the part of their foreign agents to inform them in advance about the time of arrival of the pilgrim.
Ministry officials said more than 1.2 million Umrah pilgrims who arrived in the Kingdom during Ramadan and are supposed to leave the country by Nov. 28 were still in Makkah and Madinah.
