Government | Sunday 10 May, 2015 10:20 am |

Haj Ministry sources say the ministry has issued an instruction to Haj and Umrah firms not to sign contracts with pilgrims, or register, make reservations or receive any money before they officially obtain the necessary licenses for the upcoming pilgrimage season.
The Haj Ministry completed allocating the internal pilgrims' camps and Tawafa establishments earlier this year due to its keenness to give all Haj service providers sufficient time to prepare the camps and boost the quality of services this season.

Abdulrahman Alnufaie, acting director of the Haj Ministry branch, confirmed that his ministry has completed allocating the internal pilgrims' camps and Tawafa establishments, saying: "The delivery process of locations will begin once the firms and companies deliver the requirements of the camps, which will probably occur on the 15th of Shawwal (July 31)." He said the instructions of the Haj Ministry obliged the firms not to market or announce any services until they have acquired their seasonal licenses and have received their respective locations.
"It makes no sense to announce or market the services without knowing where the location will be or what the services will include. All firms must first meet the requirements and then announce their service programs," he noted. Abdulqader Al-Jabriti, deputy president of the Haj committee at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that allocating the camps at an early date is convenient, but the benefits of such a move is negated if firms have to wait until full licenses are granted.

"Haj companies and firms cannot receive the final permission and support for their camps unless they have met the requirements of the ministry, mainly introducing the bank guarantee before the 9th of Ramadan. This requirement in particular will put the company in a position of 'financial bottleneck' if they try to get ahead without following the ministry's directives, because the circle of its capital will stop," he added.
Al-Jabriti has now requested that the ministry reconsider its decision and allow Haj firms to register pilgrims and receive money from them so that they can resolve this financial problem and have enough liquidity to prepare their camps in good time.

Further, he said, the early allocation process of camps will in fact help the firms to better plan and prepare for the season, and to open the registration operations for citizens and know the exact number of those who want to perform the holy rituals. "All of this will ultimately result in a boosting of the service levels this year, but the recent decisions and restrictions of the ministry have seemingly canceled all such benefits", he commented.