MAKKAH: The government of Saudi Arabia, via the Ministry of Haj and Umrah, (MOHU) stated that the Grand Mosque expansion project is still continuing, with a cost exceeding SR200 billion (USD53.33 billion) so far.

Minister of Haj and Umrah Dr Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al Rabiah, in a press conference held in Cairo, Egypt, recently said the expansion and construction project will continue to ensure the comfort of the pilgrims.

Excerpts of his statement in the form of an infographic were posted through the official account of MOHU on Twitter on Tuesday.

Al Rabiah, who was in Egypt last week, added that the Saudi government is committed to providing the best service to the pilgrims based on Vision 2030, in addition to upgrading all facilities and infrastructure.

Al Rabiah explained that the development of the Haramain High Speed Rail project facilitates the movement of visitors from inside and outside Saudi Arabia to reach the holy site, and has seen significant development in terms of infrastructure and organisation.

He also mentioned the launch of the latest digital platform, "NUSUK", to facilitate the arrival procedure of Umrah pilgrims from around the world to Makkah and Madinah.

"Umrah packages (through NUSUK) can be booked and visas issued in less than 24 hours," he said as quoted in the infographic.

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the third phase of the grand mosque expansion project resumed in May 2020 after a hiatus of several months due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The latest expansion project involves increasing the capacity of the Mataf (Tawaf square) by 30,000 more pilgrims, installing 78 automatic gates, improving the sound system, and developing a surveillance camera system as well as a fire warning system.

-- BERNAMA