23m pilgrims visited Grand Mosque in Ramadan

SMOOTH UMRAH: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal said government apparatuses offered everything possible to facilitate matters for worshippers and Umrah pilgrims despite the huge increase in their numbers, which exceeded the previous year by 60 percent. (SPA)

RIYADH: A total of 23,164,319 pilgrims visited the Grand Mosque in Makkah in the holy month of Ramadan, according to the Ministry of Haj and Umrah.
The statistics issued by the ministry also said that pilgrims were transported by 1,463,543 vehicles in visiting the Grand Mosque.
“The transfers were easy and convenient which complemented the efforts of the authorities under the Ministry of Interior,” the ministry said.
It added that “this illustrates the considerable efforts undertaken by the traffic police in Makkah to receive vehicles carrying pilgrims and visitors.”
It added that this was not easy since the traffic police also had to regulate the entry of cars, including public transport vehicles.
“Transport vehicles require special attention in terms of entry and proper the place for downloading and uploading of pilgrims with ease,” the ministry said.
It also said that traffic police were working around the clock to keep the roads leading to the Haram Al-Sharif free and ready to deal with any obstacle that could delay the arrival of vehicles.
“The traffic police were provided special equipment to remove any hindrance and ensure smooth traffic flow,” the ministry said.
The traffic police also had to deal with any vehicle that was not authorized to enter the premises of Haram Al-Sharif.
But the traffic police had a problem of dealing with motorcycle riders who were harassing pedestrians and worshippers and causing obstruction of vehicles.
But the ministry said that the traffic police performed well and expressed thanks to all government agencies which cooperated to ensure a smooth traffic flow for pilgrims performing their Islamic responsibilities during the Holy Month of Ramadan.