JEDDAH, 7 November 2004 — The Ministry of Haj has found itself over the past three weeks of Ramadan grappling with the problem of Umrah squatters whose presence in the courtyards and open grounds surrounding the Grand Mosque in Makkah has been blamed on local Umrah tour operators.
Ministry officials said since the start of Ramadan they had to move more than 10,000 squatters, who have been occupying the open grounds around the Holy Haram, to hotels in Makkah and was coordinating with local Umrah agents to solve the problem.
Under Umrah rules that came into effect two years ago, Umrah pilgrims are issued visas allowing them to stay up to one month in the country provided they come through authorized Saudi agents who operate in cooperation with local tour operators in the respective countries from where the pilgrims come.
Under the new system, local agents must look after the pilgrims’ accommodation and transportation.
Minister of Haj Iyad Madani said the system is expected to attract two million people annually to visit the Kingdom to perform the minor pilgrimage.
He said the number was likely to grow rapidly in the coming years, while local economists predicted that the pilgrims could spend more than SR20 billion annually. But, unlike the old system, pilgrims must use authorized tourist firms, 137 of which have already been qualified.
Under the rules, the licensed tour operators will provide pilgrims with all services required from the time of their arrival in the Kingdom until their departure as per an agreement between the two sides.
The new regulations empower the Passport Department to issue entry visas to transit passengers at the Jeddah and Madinah airports and Jeddah Islamic Port to perform Umrah or visit the Prophet’s Mosque, provided they have a confirmed booking for their onward journey and an agreement with a licensed firm.
Acting Deputy Minister of Haj for Umrah Affairs, Dr. Eisa Rawas, said the ministry is closely monitoring the situation and has in the past days moved all the squatters from areas adjacent to the Grand Mosque to accommodation specially prepared for such cases.
A ministerial committee is working round the clock to stem the phenomenon. He said the phenomenon has been on the decline compared to previous years where the situation was more chaotic.
Dr. Rawas said local Umrah agents are responding positively to the problem and have been cooperative in receiving their clients and providing accommodation to them.
The ministry gives the Saudi agents 24 hours to receive the squatters and settle them and if they fail to do so the ministry transfers the pilgrims to another agent to provide the necessary services and oblige the original agent to pay the full costs.
