"e-Haj" Improvement Speeds Up Entry Of Hj Pilgrims' Arrival

From Zabidi Ishar JEDDAH, Aug 26 (Bernama) -- The improvement in the 'e-Haj' system implemented by the Saudi Arabian government has speeded up the entry process of haj pilgrims upon arrival at the Immigration and Customs counters at the airport here during the current haj season. The Jeddah director of operations, Mohamad Zamry Mohd Noor said with the improvement in the electronic system, haj pilgrims currently did not have to undergo a long waiting period for the entry process at the King Abdul Aziz Airport, here. "If previously the haj pilgrims had to wait for up to five hours to settle the passport processing at the Immigration and Customs counters, the improvement in the system had shortened the period to two or three hours. "This process had smoothened procedures in documenting the arrival of the pilgrims and reduced the long waiting period at the airport which occurred previously," he told reporters here, Friday. Mohamad Zamry said the e-haj' system which was implemented by the Saudi Arabian government several years ago had now been improved and had eliminated the process of printing bus tickets. "Previously, the bus tickets had to be printed and pasted in the passport but now, this is no longer done because the tickets had been entered earlier in the improved system. The hotel accommodation addresses of the respective pilgrims are also included in the system for screening," he said. He said the pilgrims also knew their bus registration numbers and the places of accommodation much earlier because such information were pasted on the pilgrims' badges even before leaving Malaysia. "Alhamdulillah (God willing), our pilgrims have no problems going through the immigration and customs and no one are lost at the airport and all these have saved time during arrival," he said. Meanwhile, the Highway Patrol Emergency Call Team had received five emergency calls concerning four buses with punctured tyres as well as one complaint regarding a faulty air-conditioner in the bus transporting the pilgrims from the airport to the hotel. The Team manager, Shafiei Sharif said the team members had acted swiftly to change the tyres and the bus with the faulty air-conditioner within 45 to 90 minutes. "We have nine personnel monitoring the movement of the buses carrying the haj pilgrims such as ensuring that they stop at the stipulated resting areas and tackling emergency situations faced by the buses concerned," he said. -- BERNAMA