More than 7,000 teams to serve pilgrims during Hajj 2019

In this file photo, a Saudi policeman helps an elderly Muslim pilgrim to climb steps at the site of the "Jamarat" ritual, in the Saudi holy city of Makkah on Dec. 8, 2008. (AFP)

• 200,000 Pakistani pilgrims will perform Hajj this year
• Pakistan officials say they are getting full cooperation from Saudi authorities

ISLAMABAD: The operational plan of the General Presidency of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque is being implemented by 7,720 teams to serve pilgrims during this year’s Hajj season, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Around 200,000 Pakistani pilgrims will perform Hajj this year where most of them have already reached Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan’s director general for Hajj mission, Dr. Sajid Yousfani, last week told Arab News that the mission is “getting full support and co-operation” from Saudi officials to facilitate Pakistani Hajj pilgrims.
To facilitate the Hajj Pilgrims Saudi General Directorate of Passports (GDP) has appointed a number of students who can also speak Urdu, Pakistan’s National Language, to assist the pilgrims.
According the SPA Saudi teams are providing their services in all aspects of the plan. These include service, engineering, technical, technological, cultural, information, social aspects and oversight functions.
The staff are carrying out awareness initiatives to guide the worshippers in religious and organizational aspects in order to help them perform their rituals with comfort.
The service aspect is one of the most important field tasks in the operational plan of the agency. Staff working on these tasks are responsible for cleaning the Prophet’s Mosque, supplying all sites with carpets and Zamzam water, cleaning machinery and equipment, transferring older persons and people with special needs, providing guidance services, preparing portable containers for distributing Zamzam bottles, and ensuring the cleanliness of prayer areas and other facilities.
Moreover, the staff responsible for service tasks open and guard the mosque’s doors, organize the movement of crowds as part of the initiative for clearing paths, maintain the security and safety of the mosque and its facilities, oversee parking areas, and allocate medical emergency sites and provide them with the necessary equipment.
For the 15th year in a row, the Youth of Makkah at Your Service program has maintained its role in serving pilgrims with the participation of 500 young men, who are undertaking activities during the season in partnership with several government bodies.
The acting director general of the Project for the Glorification of the Sacred City, Saud Al-Rehaili, said its activities aim to guide those who get lost inside the Grand Mosque and help older persons and those with special needs perform the Tawaf and Sai.