JEDDAH, 22 December 2005 — Haj Minister Fouad Al-Farsy announced yesterday that work on the expansion of the Jamrat (stoning area) in Mina would start soon after the end of this Haj season.
Speaking to reporters after inspecting preparations under way in the holy sites of Mina and Arafat, Al-Farsy said the new Jamrat project would solve many problems being faced by pilgrims while performing the stoning ritual.
Al-Farsy thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for sanctioning the SR4 billion project, which is designed to accommodate nearly four million pilgrims in the Jamrat area at a time and to avoid the recurrence of stampedes that have resulted in several deaths in the past.
In August, King Abdullah, accompanied by top officials including Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed, inspected the Jamrat.
Bakr Binladin, chairman of Binladin Group, briefed the king on the project, which will be completed in four years.
The project includes expansion of the area around Jamrat, automatic cleaning of the area and transportation of pilgrims from tents to the Jamrat and back by train. The new Jamrat, with four floors apart from the ground floor, will have electronic stairs, 12 entrances and 12 exits and will be linked with tents by hanging bridges.
“The five-floor facility will allow 500,000 pilgrims perform the ritual in an hour,” said Osama Albar, dean of King Fahd Haj Institute, which designed the project. No vehicles will be allowed in the area around the Jamrat and underground tunnels will be built for motorists’ use.
Al-Farsy urged citizens and expatriates intending to perform Haj to obtain Haj permits. “It is difficult to stop pilgrims who sneak into the holy sites without permits,” he said, adding that his ministry in association with other departments would exert maximum efforts to stop the phenomenon.
The Haj minister said the new domestic-pilgrims law would end some of the problems faced by local pilgrims. Under the new law Saudis and expatriates can perform Haj only through authorized Haj service companies.
The law aims to help domestic pilgrims to perform Haj in an organized manner and prevent squatting in public places. “We don’t say the new law will solve all the problems; we are dealing with millions of people within a limited time and space,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, the pilgrim transportation plan got a shot in the arm with the joining of Qawafil company, which has a fleet of 270 modern buses, and the purchasing of 750 new buses by firms that have already registered with the Car Syndicate.
