Makkah police seized over 700 cars and 800 motorbikes this Haj season for various violations including smuggling of unauthorized pilgrims.

Col. Sulieman Al-Jmaiei, director-general of the Makkah’s Traffic Directorate, revealed these figures while stressing that the owners of these vehicles would face charges for violating traffic rules and regulations.

Penalties, he said, would depend on the kind of violation. If a vehicle owner was found transporting unauthorized pilgrims, the vehicle would be confiscated. Owners will have to pay a fine of around SR1,500 for violations within Makkah, SR3,000 for violations at the entrance of the holy sites, and SR5,000 for violations inside the holy sites. Expatriates found working and making money will be deported.

He said the directorate achieved unprecedented success in implementing its traffic plan this year.

The traffic plan was implemented on Al-Tarwiyah Day and continued till after the pilgrims’ return to Makkah after stoning the devil in Mina, he said, adding that the directorate improvised the plan that ensured smooth movement of pilgrims during the Al-Manasik period. The plan ensured pilgrims’ safety after their return to the Grand Mosque to perform the farewell tawaf after stoning the devil.

All this was done in record time amid spiritual and reassuring atmosphere and comprehensive services that were provided by the government.

The success of the directorate this year was also due to the fact that small cars were not allowed into the Central Area around the Grand Mosque, which facilitated smooth entry of buses that transported pilgrims from their accommodations. The strategy was to allow only minibuses that don’t take more than 25 passengers. This practice was introduced last September, resulting in smooth traffic movement in the Central Area.

The traffic plan was supported by the Makkah governor and the minister of interior and implemented under the leadership of the director of public security.

More than 10 million pilgrims used the bandwidth transport system, he said. When told that there were only 2 million pilgrims, he said: “We arrived at the figure of 10 million on the basis of five prayer times.”