The holy Kaaba square resounding with the sound of “Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik”. The holy Hajj ceremony will start from tomorrow. Muslims from different parts of the world responded to the call of Allah and appeared in Mecca.
The main activities of the Hajj will begin with a journey to the Minaret on Monday, 8 Zilhaj (June 26) local time. However, to avoid the crowd, many people will leave for the Minaret after tying Ihram for the purpose of Hajj. At the end of five consecutive days, next Friday (12th Zilhaj) all the formalities of Hajj will be completed.
The government of Saudi Arabia has completed all preparations to ensure the safety of the pilgrims. So far the strictest security measures have been taken, the concerned said. A large number of security forces have been deployed to prevent untoward incidents or disruptive activities. In addition to manpower, state-of-the-art technology is being used for round-the-clock monitoring.
More than 1.7 million pilgrims have traveled to the holy land of Saudi Arabia so far this year to perform Hajj. With time, the number of worshipers is expected to increase to 20 lakhs.
Ensuring the safety and proper management of pilgrims from different parts of the world is the biggest challenge of the Saudi government. For this purpose, maximum preparations have been taken by the administration.
Meanwhile, starting from the entrance to Mecca, the holy places have been covered with security blankets. Apart from maintaining smooth traffic, law and order system, the security forces will monitor the movement of every person. Special forces are also ready for round-the-clock surveillance to avoid any untoward incident.
Lieutenant Colonel Ahmed Sharif, spokesman of the security department, said that after receiving the call, all the information was taken and handed over to the concerned department within 45 seconds. All security departments are working at one place to serve the guests. We have advanced technology. All religious places are being monitored 24 hours a day by modern CCTV cameras. Any suspicious activity is immediately reported to the security department. We are determined to take swift action to prevent any crime.
Apart from law and order, special arrangements have been made for the welfare of the pilgrims. 170 hospitals and healthcare centers have been prepared. 14 thousand workers and 8 thousand volunteers are ready to provide round-the-clock service.
