Hajj Agents Face Penalties From Saudi Disciplinary Council For Breaching Contracts With Pilgrims
13 September 2017Mohammed Al-Sulami
JEDDAH: The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has referred a group of Tawafa service
providers, including some Hajj offices serving Algerian pilgrims, to the
ministry's disciplinary council pending trial and application of penalties
against them.
The ministry stressed it will apply strict penalties on Tawafa establishments
proved to have breached service contracts signed between them and pilgrims.
Penalties will range between fines and revoking permission to practice the
profession.
The disciplinary council, which comprises representatives of the Ministry of
Interior and the Public Prosecution, is assigned to look into Tawafa
establishments in breach of regulations stipulated in the Tawafa system, and
other decisions and regulations ordered by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.
This will be the first case where Tawafa service providers have been referred
to the appropriate authorities in the Kingdom. Three years ago, the
then-Bureau of Investigation and General Prosecution (BIGP), currently the
Public Prosecution, referred one employee of the National Establishment of
Tawafa for South Asian Pilgrims in Makkah Region to court for insulting and
questioning the integrity of the ministry's staff.
Meanwhile, Minister of Hajj and Umrah Mohammed Salih Bentin on Wednesday
honored a number of the ministry staff for their efforts and accomplishments,
as well as their effective contributions to the success of the current Hajj
season. The ceremony came on the sidelines of the annual party for the heads
and members of Hajj affairs offices, and guests of the Hajj mega-symposium of
the current Hajj season.
Those honored included the adviser and general supervisor to the Hajj
mega-symposium, Hatim Qadi; the head of the organizing committee of the
symposium Hisham Al-Abbas; head of the scientific committee, Yusuf Al-Faqi;
the head of logistics committee, Bandar Al-Sulaimani; head of the media
committee Ali Al-Ghamdi; the head of the reception committee, Husam Najm; and
the head of the administrative and financial committee, Said Al-Harbi.
In another development, the director general of Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia)
Salih Al-Jasir on Wednesday inspected the Hajj and Umrah terminal at King
Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah and was briefed on the operational
process and Hajj departure flights in their second day. He also met with
members of work teams assigned to serve pilgrims and, in this context,
expressed his appreciation for their efforts in this regard.
The Saudia chief also lauded the cooperation between Saudia and Hajj grouping
agencies and urged them to enhance on the success witnessed by the operational
plans of Saudia in the arrival stage of pilgrims which grew by 40 percent
compared to pilgrims transported last year.
He said serving pilgrims comes atop priorities of the national carrier (Saudia)
and, thus, plays that role as do other government agencies concerned with
serving pilgrims. He said they were proud to undertake that responsibility to
the fullest.
Measures and arrangements were taken to facilitate the departure of pilgrims
and achieve the highest rates of smooth movement, he pointed out.
©
EsinIslam.Com
Add Comments