Sharjah
There is an issue I would like to bring to the notice of the authorities, and it regards the switching off of streetlights during the early hours of morning.
I have found that in most streets in the residential Al Qasimia area of Sharjah, only a couple of streetlights in the entire stretch of road are switched on, while the rest are off. Large patches of darkness lie in various parts of the street, where only a few lights are on, scattered here and there.
As a student residing in Sharjah and studying in a school in Dubai, my bus timings are as early as 5.15am — an incentive to avoid the early morning traffic. Moreover, my bus stop is quite a distance away from my place of residence and I have to cover the distance by foot.
Over the past few weeks, many other students residing in the area and I have found it inconvenient to walk to the bus stop, especially in winter, due to the streetlights remaining switched off in the early morning hours.
Walking in dark alleyways creates a great sense of insecurity for students, leading to our parents having to accompany us all the way to the bus stop, although we are quite capable of doing so ourselves. Walking with heavy school bags, it is also difficult to locate and dodge obstacles in our path.
The lack of streetlights also makes it difficult for people to walk to the mosque for their morning prayers. Many working people, including my mother, who look forward to morning walks as part of their daily exercise, are also put in a difficult situation due to the darkness in winter.
I earnestly request the concerned authorities to look into this matter and look forward to a positive resolution to this concern.
The reader is a Sharjah resident and student of Indian High School, Dubai.
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