Saudi Arabia has tightened laws against those attempting to perform Hajj without a permit. Authorities have announced that a fine of 50 thousand riyals (about 11 lakh Indian rupees) will be imposed on people performing Hajj without a permit.
Along with this, violating the rules can also lead to six months in jail. Officials have said that the fine will be applicable to both residents and visitors. After completion of the sentence, those who do so will also be expelled from the country for 10 years. Such people will be banned from re-entering the country for 10 years.
This step has been taken by the Saudi government as a major effort to streamline the system before this year’s Hajj. The Ministry of Haj and Umrah stressed that performing Haj without obtaining the necessary permits is illegal and no one should attempt such a thing. Hajj is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world. This year, about 19 lakh people from all over the world are expected to reach Saudi for Hajj. The number of people coming for Haj had decreased significantly during the Corona epidemic, but now the number of people coming has increased again.
People without permit also banned from entering Mecca
As one of the steps taken by Saudi regarding Haj, people without entry permit have also been banned from entering the holy city of Mecca from May 15. The Saudi Kingdom has also attempted to streamline the application process by introducing the Nussuk platform online. The Saudi government has made most of the facilities related to Haj online.
This year, one lakh, 39 thousand people from India will go to Saudi Arabia for Haj. People from all over the country had applied for Haj. Out of these, names of 1,39054 pilgrims were selected for Haj pilgrimage through lottery system. About 35 thousand people will also go on Haj personally. A bilateral Haj agreement has recently been signed between the governments of India and Saudi Arabia.
Under this, there is a total quota of 1,75,025 pilgrims from India for Haj 2024. In this, 1,40,020 seats have been reserved through Haj Committee of India. 35,005 pilgrims can go to Saudi Arabia through Haj group operators.
