Muslim pilgrims walk down a street during the annual hajj pilgrimage in the Saudi holy city of Mecca, on July 6, 2022. (Photo by Christina ASSI / AFP)
Saudi Arabia’s Hajj and Umrah ministry has fired the CEO and the head of Hajj companies who failed to provide adequate service to pilgrims.
At least one million pilgrims are in the holy land for the annual Hajj after two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The five days of Hajj officially started on Thursday with pilgrims flocking to the tent city of Mina to spend the day of Tarwiyah (water provision), following the Prophetic example in preparation to stand in the Arafat holy site on Friday.
The ministry says based on what was observed by its field and monitoring teams, the service provided to pilgrims was not up to standard.
“The Ministry has announced the ousting of a CEO and another head of one of the Hajj companies in coordination with the company’s board of directors.”
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“Moreover, an investigation has been launched to determine why the company failed to provide the required services, as the Ministry closely monitors all services provided to the pilgrims for quality assurance purposes,” the Ministry said.
The Ministry affirmed its commitment to monitoring all agencies and companies operating during the Hajj season.
“Noting all violations, the Ministry is dealing with them immediately and swiftly as part of its efforts to ensure the safety and comfort of all pilgrims.
“These efforts are in conformation with the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman on the necessity of facilitating the provision of services to all pilgrims in a way that supports them in performing their rites of pilgrimage,” it said.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah also emphasised that it will not permit or tolerate any shortcomings in providing the best possible service to pilgrims.
“In addition, the Ministry has dispatched inspection teams who make rounds continuously to monitor and assess any discrepancy in the quality of services provided to pilgrims.”
The ministry said they are also following up with any complaints submitted to them without exception, all to raise the quality of services provided to the pilgrims and ensure their safety.
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