Makkah: With the holy month of Ramadan just around the corner, the local authorities in Makkah and Madinah have completed all their elaborate arrangements and preparations to handle the huge influx of Umrah pilgrims and visitors to the holy mosques.

The Ministry of Haj has issued a record number of more than five million Umrah visas this year. A total of about 5.5 million pilgrims from more than 140 countries are expected to arrive in the holy city of Makkah during Ramadan, which marks the climax of the annual Umrah season. A large number of pilgrims are eager to spend the last ten days of the holy month, expecting Lailatul Qadr (the Night of Power), in the vicinity of Islam’s holiest shrine.

Meanwhile, The Supreme Judiciary Council has called on all Muslims in the Kingdom to look out for the Ramadan crescent on Saturday evening (Shaaban 29, corresponding to July 30). In an announcement issued on Wednesday, the Council urged those who see the crescent of the blessed month to report to the nearest court and register their testimonies, or report to the regional governorate if there is no judge in the area.

Speaking to Gulf News, Minister of Haj Dr. Fuad Al Farsi said that the ministry’s Umrah Plan for the current year is going on smoothly in accordance with the scheduled plans and programs. “The arrival and departure of the pilgrims are strictly in line with the plan. The advanced means of technology and transportation coupled with meticulous planning have made the operation a great success,” he said.

Dr. Al Farsi noted that there are 250,000 Umrah pilgrims at present in the holy cities. They are part of the 1.1 million Umrah visas issued for the current season, he said. “It is expected that the influx of the pilgrims would gain momentum with the upcoming Ramadan and the total number of pilgrims during the year would reach to over five million,” he said.

The minister said that all the Umrah service providing companies and establishments have completed their preparations to receive the pilgrims and extend them the best possible services during the holy month. “I have conducted a number of inspection tours to verify this, the last of which was held on Tuesday to the office of the motor syndicate. “There would be an increase of 700 buses to transport Haj pilgrims during the current year comparing with last year, and by this the fleet of buses for Haj operation would reach 19700. These buses would also be used for transportation of the Umrah pilgrims during the current season,” he said adding that this figure not included the fleet of buses operated by a number of other private companies.

Referring to the measures to ease traffic congestion during the holy month, Dr. Al Farsi said that the Traffic Department in Makkah has geared up to implement its plan to ease traffic jams and facilitate smooth movement of pilgrims. “A total of 3800 officers and members of traffic police have been mobilized to make the traffic plan a great success,” he said. The department has started implementing from Wednesday its Ramadan Traffic Plan to deal with millions of visitors to the holy city.

Meanwhile, Major General Jazaa Al-Amri, director of police in Makkah, said that a total of 10000 policemen have been deployed to implement the Ramadan Plan in the best possible manner. He warned that there would not be any leniency in the case of those who try to cause troubles and difficulties to the Umrah pilgrims and visitors to the holy city. “There will be secret squads to catch pickpockets and those who cheat pilgrims by circulating counterfeit currencies. Cameras have been set up within and outside the Haram Mosque to monitor the situation,” he said adding that there has been an increase of beggars who were arrested from the Haram premises.