Their annual pilgrimage was accident-free due to the excellent arrangements made by the Saudi authorities and hassle-free because of the personal involvement of Indian Consul General Faiz Ahmad Kidwai and Consul (Haj) B.S. Mubarak. The two officials were among the local and Indian volunteers directing the pilgrims in Arafat on Saturday and now in Mina.
“The Saudi government needs to be appreciated for the excellent and elaborate facilities provided to the guests of God,” Mubarak told Arab News at his camp in Mina. “The excellent arrangements show the Kingdom's concern for the welfare of pilgrims. They have provided excellent health facilities, and drinking water is available in abundance. There is absolutely no problem with electricity.”
Mubarak said that in the past, frequent accidents were reported on the Jamarat Bridge. “That's no longer the case because of the huge multistoried Jamarat Complex that the government has constructed spending billions of riyals. This is without a doubt a very big achievement,” he said.
However, according to Mubarak, there is always room for improvement in other areas. “Based on the feedback from our pilgrims we feel there is a shortage of toilet facilities. One solution could be to provide multistoried toilet facilities in Arafat and Mina. Of course, there are toilets attached to every camp, but it becomes a challenge to find a proper toilet for the hundreds of pilgrims in such camps. Therefore, we feel there can be separate areas for multistoried toilets at a little distance from the camps. Such an arrangement will also help keep the camp area clean and hygienic,” Mubarak said.
According to him, part of the problems faced by Indian pilgrims could be due to the reduced allocation of space to the South Asian Pilgrims Est. “Pilgrim numbers have increased but space for them has not (proportionately increased). This has led (us) to accommodating more than the desired capacity in any particular tent,” Mubarak said and requested the local authorities to allocate more space for South Asians, which in turn will result in more space for Indian pilgrims.
Mubarak underlined the lack of awareness among some Indian pilgrims. “We need to understand that all of the more than 170,000 Indian pilgrims come from different states and speak nearly 14 to 15 different languages. They boarded the flights from 21 different embarkation points in India. So communicating with all these diverse group of pilgrims becomes a challenge. Also, generally pilgrims coming from India are in their 60s and 70s, and not everybody can take the stress of walking endlessly,” said Mubarak, who is in charge of arrangements for the fourth pilgrimage in a row in his capacity as Indian Haj consul.
With his extensive experience, Mubarak is considered an expert in Haj matters. He says Indian pilgrims need to be educated about what to expect during Haj. “Many of the pilgrims who come here with lots of expectations are disappointed when they see they are cramped in a small space. They are not even aware of traffic congestion here. So when they are caught in traffic they get nervous and frustrated.”
A lot needs to be done on the orientation front in India, he said. “Indian pilgrims need to be told about what to expect at the holy sites, like lack of space, congested areas and transportation difficulties. That will lessen their shock when they encounter such a situation.”
“We have used all our experience for the betterment of Indian pilgrims. Whatever was possible has been done. If some pilgrims find the arrangements not up to their expectations, then we can only express our regret. On our part, we have done our best,” said Mubarak.
He thanked the representatives of the Indian expatriate community for their excellent support in providing services to pilgrims in Mina and Arafat. “The consulate will hopefully work more closely in the future as an added service to the pilgrims,” he said.
