Committee to handle returning pilgrims<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The city administration has established a
\nspecial committee to welcome Jakartans returning from the
\npilgrimage to Mecca.<\/p>\n
Mubarok, head of the Jakarta Office of the Ministry of
\nReligious Affairs, told reporters that the committee is meant to
\nhelp returning pilgrims through the immigration processes at the
\nHalim Perdanakusuma Airport and to transport them to the Pondok
\nGede Haj dormitory in East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"The priority will be given mainly to elderly people and those
\nwho are in poor health,\" Mubarok said.<\/p>\n
The committee will consist of 60 members, who will be on call
\n24 hours a day starting from May 15.<\/p>\n
Mubarok explained there will be three steps which the haj
\npilgrims will have to abide by. They are the immigration process
\nat the airport, the quarantine (medical checkup) process, also at
\nthe airport, and the customs process at the haj dormitory.<\/p>\n
\"The team's jobs include assisting haj pilgrims from Jakarta
\nto get into buses to the dormitory and reporting missing baggage
\nto the lost and found department,\" Mubarok said.<\/p>\n
The team will start its job on May 15, when the first flight
\nfrom Mecca arrives. Their duty will continue through June 2, when
\nthe last haj flight arrives, he said.<\/p>\n
\"This is the first committee ever set up by the city
\nadministration. This reflects its intention to give better
\nservice to haj pilgrims,\" he said.<\/p>\n
There was chaos during the pilgrimage departure period this
\nyear. More than 1,000 people were stranded at the dormitory for
\ndays because their fights were delayed several times.<\/p>\n
Due to the delays, some of them were forced to stay at the
\ndormitory for several days, instead of just one day, before
\nboarding their planes.<\/p>\n
Those whose departures were delayed were mostly pilgrims from
\nJakarta. Only a few difficulties were encountered by pilgrims
\nfrom other regions.<\/p>\n
There are 31,286 Jakartans conducting the haj pilgrimage to
\nMecca this year, down from 37,116 people registered earlier.
\n(yns)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/committee-to-handle-returning-pilgrims-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}