KUWAIT: Today is the last day for those who want to register for hajj this year, a Kuwaiti official said yesterday. Pilgrims are warned against going to unlicensed campaigns, said Khalaif Al-Athaina, Head of the Kuwait hajj mission and assistant undersecretary for coordination, technical support and foreign relations at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs.

He also urged pilgrims to make sure that the agencies they go through are approved by the Awqaf Ministry so that they can enter the holy land and perform hajj, because most unlicensed campaigns will have difficulties in entering Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, Athaina urged all pilgrims to go to vaccination centers of the health ministry to take the necessary vacancies to be protected from any infectious diseases.

Road maintenance

Ministry of Public Works said four percent of the maintenance of crossroads on the western part of the Fifth Ring Road is done. The ministry said the total cost of the project is KD 108.8 million and it will contribute to the development of the road network in the country when completed. It said the project serves many residential areas overlooking the western part of Fifth Ring Road, such as Ardiya, Firdous, Sulaibiya, south Doha and Qairawan. The number of lanes will be increased to four in each direction, in addition to service and emergency lanes.

Special needs

Social Affairs and Labor Ministry Undersecretary Matar Al-Mutairi said the state is keen on presenting the best care to special needs nursery children according to the law and rules, and this is one of the factors that made Kuwait to occupy the lead in presenting social care for those with special needs in general. Mutairi said besides the services presented to nursery children, the financial cost of all the children - who number 148 - is KD 5.5 million per year that covers food, education, training, transport, cleanliness, security and others, besides what the state pays in the form of salaries to workers dealing with those children.

By Meshaal Al-Enezi