21,650 hands mobilized for Haj work
By BADEA ABU AL-NAJA | ARAB NEWS
Published: Oct 17, 2010 23:52 Updated: Oct 17, 2010 23:52
MAKKAH:
Over 21,000 people have been mobilized to implement Makkah municipality’s plans for Haj 2010 and make the annual event a huge success, said the city’s Mayor Osama Al-Bar.
“We have mobilized around 21,650 people to implement the plan in various fields. In order to keep Makkah’s central area around the Grand Mosque clean and tidy, there will be over 7,000 cleaners who will be provided with equipment to work around the clock,” he said.
Al-Bar said the municipality would implement the plan in coordination and cooperation with all agencies and government departments concerned including the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, police and the Guides Organization.
“University students and health institutes will be hired to work as temporary health monitors. There will also be central units to deal with emergency situations such as rain, flash floods, rockslides, fires and the like,” he said.
“Some 200 electric compressors will be used to dispose of garbage. During the Haj days, there will be over 6,000 cleaners working round the clock in Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat,” he said, adding that the cleaners will be strictly monitored and supervised.
The municipality also has some 1,310 rubbish bins with a total capacity to collect more than 1,300 tons of garbage at the holy sites during the Haj. The Haj plan also includes a string of measures to ensure a healthy environment during the annual pilgrimage. “The monitoring and supervision of markets, stores, fast-food outlets and restaurants will also be beefed up,” he said.
There are about 2,300 commercial shops and stores for foodstuffs in Makkah and around 2,229 temporary stores will be set up in the city during the pilgrimage. This is in addition to some 643 temporary shops, stalls, bakeries and barber shops that will be set up in the holy sites.
“The officials concerned will monitor all these places and ensure that they are meeting the required health and safety standards. Samples of all foodstuffs will be tested at the designated laboratories, and the expired foodstuffs will be seized,” he said.
Referring to sacrificial animals, Al-Bar said that a comprehensive plan is in place to monitor all animals brought to slaughterhouses in line with established health and safety standards.
“Some 57 centers have been set up at various entry points to the city to monitor the animals. Moreover, teams of vets will carry out field inspections to prevent outbreaks of any contagious diseases among the animals as well as to ensure that they are fit for consumption,” he said.
He added that the slaughterhouses in the holy sites have a total capacity to slaughter half a million animals.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article163348.ece
Pilgrims to use 50% of Mashair Railway this year
By MUHAMMAD HUMAIDAN | ARAB NEWS
Published: Oct 21, 2010 00:06 Updated: Oct 21, 2010 00:21
JEDDAH: About 30 to 50 percent of the Mashair Railway (Makkah Metro) will be used this Haj season, according to Abdullah Al-Khodairy, undersecretary at Makkah governorate and chairman of the Executive Haj Committee.
Speaking about new services being provided to pilgrims this year, he said: “The expansion of masaa (the running area between Safa and Marwah) has been completed and will facilitate the sai'e ritual of pilgrims.”
“The restriction on small vehicles entering Makkah and the holy sites and the measures taken to stop illegal pilgrims from squatting in public places will also contribute to the success of Haj this year,” he said.
Al-Khodairy chaired a meeting on Tuesday to organize a media campaign to inform the public on Haj regulations and instructions.
Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal will launch another major awareness campaign titled “No Haj Without Permit” on Saturday. The campaign aims at encouraging Saudis and expatriates to obtain Haj permits before proceeding to the holy places for Haj.
Meanwhile, Brig. Ayed Al-Harbi, commander of the Passport Department’s Haj forces, said the awareness campaigns last year were instrumental in helping pilgrims enter the holy places without difficulty.
He stressed the need for translating the content of the campaign into different languages to ensure that the message has been passed on to different nationalities.
He also called for stopping illegal vehicles carrying pilgrims at the first checkpoint to reduce pressure on the main checkpoint.
Al-Harbi referred to the Haj-related information available on the Passport Department’s website, saying that a large number of people from abroad and within the Kingdom have visited the site.
http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article165895.ece