JEDDAH: The first 180 Indian pilgrims were received Saturday at the Haj terminal by the Indian Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad; Sayed Ahmed Baba, the Indian consul general; and other officials from the Indian consulate. More than 160,000 pilgrims are scheduled to arrive from India, via Saudia, Nas Air and Al Wafer, which successfully bid on an international tender for transporting Indian pilgrims this year, Ahmad said at a press conference Saturday at the Indian consulate in Jeddah. He noted that Air India is not among the airlines that will transport pilgrims. “On the basis of the transparent tender process, the decision was made that Air India, the national airline, will not serve the pilgrims this year,” he said. “It may be that Air India showed a lack of interest in participating or may have offered something on the higher side, but the fact remains that Air India is not participating in the Haj operations.” Ahmad said 125,000 Indian pilgrims are coming through arrangements made with the Haj Committee of India and about 45,500 pilgrims will perform Haj through Indian-based private tour operators, he added. Through Nov. 9, an average of 14 aircraft will carry about 4,000 pilgrims per day, from 21 different points in India. This is the first year for direct flights from Goa and Bhopal, Ahmad said. During the arrival phase, 187 flights carrying 53,500 pilgrims are set to arrive in Jeddah and 244 flights carrying 70500 pilgrims will land in Madina. During the departure phase, 255 flights will carry 75,000 pilgrims from Jeddah and 176 flights will take 49,000 pilgrims from Madina. Five senior officers will serve as coordinators and 135 doctors, 146 paramedics, 51 assistant Haj officers and 181 Haj assistants will take care of the pilgrims. “About 567 buildings have been rented to accommodate pilgrims in Makkah,” Ahmad said. “We have hired 93 percent of what is required and we are in the process of renting the remaining number of units.” About 70 percent of the necessary accommodations in Madina have been secured, in the Markazia area, and all pilgrims coming through the Haj Committee of India will be accommodated within the traditional boundaries of Mina and exclusive moallims will be earmarked for them, he added. Officials will work 24/7 in Jeddah, Makkah and Madina and at the Haj terminal to facilitate reception of pilgrims. The Indian Haj mission has set up a 50-bed hospital with 12 branches and 12 dispensaries throughout Makkah and a 10-bed hospital with five branches and five dispensaries have been set up in Madina to provide around-the-clock service to the pilgrims, Ahmad said. – Saudi Gazette “We are aware that the Indian medical services have been used by people of different nationalities and other missions led by Saudi authorities,” he said. “We plan to provide the same services we were providing in previous years.” Those who are part of the Haj mission are in the process of setting up a dedicated information center near Haram to guide pilgrims and to convey information, he added. Ahmad said one service-related challenge every year is that most of the pilgrims from India are performing Haj for the first time so they are not familiar with the facilities and may misuse them. “Our effort is to ensure that they are repaired quickly,” he said. “All these challenges can't be addressed overnight, but I can ensure my operation is so efficient that I can meet this requirement.” There will be more than 160,000 Indian pilgrims and more than 90 percent of them are experiencing this for the first time, which creates a logistical challenge, Ahmad said. “That makes it a unique Haj for them and for us, but through our system, we have taken this into account and a system for Haj is successful if it is flexible enough,” he said. “The movement of people safely, efficiently and comfortably is a management challenge that has not changed. We have a larger number of pilgrims this year, which makes it slightly different from the others, but an efficient system is in place.” Ahmad said the Saudi government has made arrangements to provide food on Araft Day, moallim will be responsible for providing lunch on Arafat Day and the Haj mission is not going to provide food in Mina or Arafat. At the request of the Indian consulate, a South Asian Muassah agreed to provide dried food to the pilgrims in Mina. Sayed Ahmed Baba, the Indian consul general, asked Indian nationals who have relatives who are performing Haj to not stay with them in accommodations provided by the Haj mission. “This is illegal and at the same time, such activities create problems for other pilgrims because of a lack of space,” he said.
