Indian official: Pilgrims provided with best facilities

A top Indian official said Saturday that Saudi Arabia has made “the best and most elaborate arrangements” for pilgrims this year with a slew of measures, including security arrangements, medical facilities and traffic system.
Sultan Ahmed, a member of the Indian Parliament who is leading the delegation of the Haj Committee of India (HCI), expressed his thanks and appreciations to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman for the excellent facilities.
Urging the Saudi government to increase the Haj quota for India from next year, Ahmed, who is vice chairman of HCI, said,
“The Haj panel could manage to select a little more than 100,000 pilgrims this year, while the total number of applicants in India was around half a million.”
Chaudhary Mehboob Ali Qaiser, HCI chairman, could not travel to the Kingdom because of the massive floods in the eastern Indian state of Bihar.
Around 135,000 pilgrims — 100,020 through the HCI and the remaining through private operators — are performing Haj this year, said Ahmed.
“The Saudi government has permitted only 135,000 pilgrims from India due to ongoing construction work in the two holy cities. The usual quota for Indian pilgrims is 170,000.”
On the arrangements made by the Kingdom, Ahmed, in a telephonic interview from Makkah, said, “Making necessary arrangements each year for the growing number of pilgrims poses a real challenge for Saudi Arabia.
The government and private agencies in the Kingdom deserve commendations as they redoubled their efforts to provide all facilities to the pilgrims.”
He said that there is foolproof security arrangement, round-the-clock vigilance, good health care, housing, sanitation and smooth traffic flow at all the holy sites.
“Moreover, the government agencies, including security personnel and volunteers, are very polite and helpful,” he added.
The Kingdom is implementing a multimillion dollar expansion project at the holy sites. It has already spent more than $125 billion to expand pilgrimage facilities since the 1950s.
Ahmed, who is also joined by the Haj goodwill mission of the Indian government, said that this mammoth task requires months of preparation for the Saudi government and its agencies.
The two-member Indian goodwill delegation is led by prominent businessman and social worker Zafar Sareshwala. His deputy is the chairman of Gujarat Haj Committee, Mohammed Ali Qadri. The Indian officials will stay in the Kingdom till Sept. 27.

Source: Arab News