KUALA LUMPUR: A new computerised room management system implemented for accommodations in Makkah under the Pilgrims’ Fund Board or Tabung Haji (TH) will help reduce the waiting time for pilgrims before being assigned their respective rooms.
TH maktab operations director Datuk Tahar Pilus said through the system introduced this haj season, TH would allocate rooms for pilgrims two days before their arrival.
“Prior to this, pilgrims had to wait for several hours before they were given their rooms but through this computerised system, TH will determine the rooms in advance as it will be sorted out by the computer system rather than manually in the past.
“So with this system, we expect the waiting time for pilgrims will be brought down to about 30 minutes,” he told a media conference in Makkah today which TH shared with Bernama.
A total of 30,200 Malaysian pilgrims will be performing the fifth pillar of Islam with TH this season, accompanied by a total of 640 TH personnel to ensure the operation of pilgrimage runs smoothly.
For this year’s haj season, TH provides a total of 62 special chartered flights that will be bringing in pilgrims until Aug 4.
Tahar also said in Makkah, TH provided nine hostels in Makkah for Malaysian pilgrims while 60 TH personnel will be there to ensure their well-being at the hostels.
“At the service centres in the hostels, TH is responsible for looking after the well-being of the pilgrims and providing guidance for rituals so pilgrims are advised to attend guidance classes provided by TH’s personnel. In addition, counselling is also provided besides (the regular) meals.
“There are also side services for Malaysian pilgrims such as postal services, laundry, telephone services (iTalk) by Telekom Malaysia (TM) as well as Malaysian food cafeteria in every hostel,” he said, adding that the first batch of Malaysian pilgrims arrived in Makkah yesterday.
He also advised the pilgrims to take good care of themselves while in the Holy Land and keep the surrounding clean while looking after their health especially in the current hot weather with temperatures reaching 40°C. — Bernama
