Preparations to serve 1.8 million pilgrims in this year's Haj have been completed, the Minister of Haj announced Wednesday. Dr. Fouad Bin Abdulsalam Al-Farsy, the Haj Minister, made the comment in Makkah during a workshop with other government agencies to train a specialist cadre for Haj and Umrah. “The ministry and the Tawafa establishments have completed the necessary arrangements for this year's Haj,” he said. He refuted rumors about a shortage of buses for transporting pilgrims and said the General Syndicate of Cars has secured 20,000 buses to transport pilgrims between Makkah and Madina's Holy Sites. He said the Haj campaign launched by Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah region, two days ago under the motto “Haj is Worship and Civilized Behavior” has pinpointed the problems which should be dealt with, in particular the phenomenon of sleeping in the open in Makkah and the Holy Sites and the cases of those performing Haj without a permit. “The workshops which the ministry organizes are basically meant to improve the quality of service, as training is the basis for improvement,” Al-Farsy added. Citing an example he said: “In the past a bus used to take four hours from the time it entered the station until its departure but this has changed now and the whole process takes five to six minutes thanks to training and the introduction of modern technology.” The ministry has organized training courses for more than 41,717 trainees in various trades and skills. “The ministry gives attention to training because it is the only way to enable our staff to upgrade their skills and cope with the latest developments in the field,” he said. The minister said he has personally endorsed all operational plans related to the ministry and Tawafa establishments. He expressed his appreciation of Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister, Interior Minister and Chairman of the Higher Haj Panel and Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah region and Chairman of the Central Haj Panel for their personal follow up and directives in the interest of the Guests of Allah. __
