Pilgrims without permits will be prosecuted: Interior Ministry

MINA: Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said illegal pilgrims turned away from checkpoints or those that tried to sneak in without Haj permits will be transferred to the Prosecution and Investigation Commission (PIC) and tried in courts.

Addressing a press conference at the general security headquarters in Mina on Friday, Al-Turki said the number of pilgrims arriving from abroad increased by 1.84 percent. Their total number according to initial reports reached 1.83 million.

The total number of domestic pilgrims so far reached 150,475 Saudi pilgrims and 63,495 non-Saudi pilgrims. There were 98,321 pilgrims who were turned away.

The spokesman said squatting could only be controlled by cracking down on fake Haj campaigns and through the special forces formed to monitor the side entry points to the holy sites. He said that it could also be controlled by increasing awareness among pilgrims over the problems associated with squatting.

Al-Turki said the main plan carried out in the last two days was focused on managing road traffic.

“Everyone saw the increasing number of cars at Makkah entry points, the central area and the holy sites,” he said.

Checkpoints were set up along all thoroughfares leading to Makkah and the holy sites to enforce guidelines on traffic movement and to ensure hassle-free flow of vehicles.

“Traffic was smooth at Makkah entry points, which showed that the awareness campaign conducted among domestic pilgrims was effective and proved everybody understood the new rule that vehicles with less than 25 passengers were not allowed in Makkah and the holy sites,” said Al-Turki.

He said that efforts have been focused on Makkah entry points to carry out instructions applicable to domestic pilgrims and also organizing crowds.

“Preventative measures have also been implemented inside the holy sites, including banning the transportation of gas inside and plans to prevent squatting in pathways,” said the official.

Al-Turki said the flow of pilgrims to the holy sites was smooth. He said the security situation was overall excellent.

The official spokesman for the Health Ministry Dr. Khalid Al-Marghalani said there were no signs of any contagious diseases. He said the Ministry of Haj mobilized 20,000 health officials and prepared 4,000 beds in 24 hospitals and 144 health centers to serve pilgrims.

The official spokesman for the Civil Defense Maj. Abdullah Al-Harthi said his organization has completed their preparations with 22,000 Civil Defense officials mobilized along with 6,000 pieces of heavy machinery and 19 helicopters. He said that there are 471 supervisory units. He said the Civil Defense conducted 15 training exercises before Haj.

Al-Harthi said Makkah is divided into nine zones where the Civil Defense teams are located in case of an emergency. He said the Civil Defense played an important role in making sure that pilgrim accommodations were safe.

The Civil Defense is in direct contact with the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) in case there is a possibility of rain. It is also watching closely tunnels in the areas surrounding the Grand Mosque to check the level of toxic fumes.

The official spokesman of the Saudi Red Crescent, Dr. Khaled Al-Hebshi, said his organization dealt with 3,773 cases since the start of Haj season. He said this year the Red Crescent is deploying quick intervention units fully equipped to deal with emergency cases.

The teams will include doctors specialized in emergency cases. He said special teams on motorbikes have also been introduced this Haj to serve in the central area and areas around the Mashair Railway.