Relocate airport
Instead of removing the slums around Mumbai airport, I think it would be more effective to relocate the airport to the outskirts of Mumbai where metro connectivity and future expansion is possible (‘India eyes removal of slums around Mumbai airport over terror risks,’ Gulf News, September 13). This should be done in the way Cochin International Airport was developed in Kerala, which is a reality with private participation, and it is powering the city now. Existing airports should be remodelled for flying clubs or other places for generating employment.
From Mr Ambat
Ajman
Website comment
Offer social services
I think it’s a good move, but at the same time, I think the government must provide proper rehabilitation and compensation for the poor people that have been living there for decades. They should tackle the vested interest of real estate crime as well.
From Mr Bashir
Sharjah
Website comment
First impressions
This is very good move from the Indian government. I have been questioning these areas for years, wondering why the government has not taken any initiative to relocate the slums that are near the airport. My concern is that people from abroad visiting India for the first time will have a negative first impression about our nation, and including security concerns.
From Mr Abdul Rafeek
Dubai
Website comment
Settlements for residents
Chasing away the people living in the slums is a dream of real estate magnates in Mumbai. Proper land and amenities with compensation should be granted to the poor inhabitants of these houses whose forefathers came there for livelihood from around the country and settled there.
From Mr Najath Manzil Ahmad
Abu Dhabi
No understanding militants
I want to know why the militant groups have to kill innocent people(‘New Al Qaida ‘emir’ handed tough job,’ Gulf News, September 13)? They need to think about what the use is of killing, if anything it would make them more vulnerable to being killed by somebody one day. I wish they would stop killing male candidates, there are so many women becoming widows or losing their sons.
From Mr Muralidhara Rao
Sharjah
Bring them to justice
I hope no one takes this as support for Al Qaida in anyway, as I hope the group is brought to justice. I would like to say that Myanmar is killing and displacing Muslims in the hundreds of thousands. They are one of the most oppressed people in the world right now. This has been happening due to acts committed by so-called Buddhists. A more fitting name would be radical Buddhists. I hope both groups are brought to justice.
From Mr Abu Taleb
Toronto, Canada
Website comment
Affects growth
Education is a prime necessity and needs to be a priority, but due to growing education costs, many children are dropping out of college (‘UAE parents need to save more, plan ahead for children’s education,’ Gulf News, September 13). This not only hinders their growth, it eventually will affect society’s growth.
Essential steps should be provided to provide economic support and quality education to students.
From Ms Mala Anil
Dubai
Facebook comment
Creating destruction
The hornet’s nest strategy was designed to create the perception that Israel is threatened by an enemy near its borders (‘Isil may target Lebanon next, before attacking Israel,’ Gulf News, September 13). According to the personal diary of former Israeli prime minister, Moshe Sharett, Israel never took seriously an Arab or Muslim threat to its national security.
In ‘The Hidden History of Zionism,’ Ralph Schoenman writes: “Sharett’s diary reveals in explicit language that the Israeli political and military leadership never believed in any Arab danger to Israel. They sought to manoeuver and force the Arab states into military confrontations, which the Zionist leadership were certain of winning so Israel could carry out the destabilization of Arab regimes and the planned occupation of additional territory.”
In 1982, Oded Yinon, an Israeli journalist with links to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, wrote The Zionist Plan for the Middle East.
He proposed: “that all the Arab states should be broken down, by Israel, into small units… [and the] dissolution of Syria and Iraq later on into ethnically or religiously unique areas such as in Lebanon, is Israel’s primary target on the Eastern front in the long run.”
Yinon suggested that the destruction of the Arab and Muslim states would be accomplished from within by exploiting their internal religious and ethnic tensions.
From Mr Ali Syed
UAE
Facebook comment
Greed and war
I think that generation after generation, George W. Brush will be remembered as a war time president (‘Bush: I never wanted to be a war-time president,’ Gulf News, September 13). People will also remember how his actions led to the killing of innocent people, and that he was greedy man hunting for oil.
From Mr Alam Kazi
Dubai
Facebook comment
Abused the name of God
Bush once said that God told him to make war in Iraq and against Al Qaida. I think that he abuses the name of God in saying this, because he had the knowledge that in that time, a large majority of the population in the US believed him.
From Mr Rainer Leon Weindl
UAE
Facebook comment
Differences in pay
The company I work for hired a Caucasian Westerner and paid him Dh25,000, but for me they said that they can’t offer me more than Dh15,000 (‘Speak your mind: The new face of racism?,’ Gulf News, September 12). I work very hard without taking proper lunch breaks, and I often extend my daily hours. For some reason, I don’t deserve good pay.
From Mr Chethan Sharma
UAE
Facebook comment
Not racism
I think that this is an old topic that Gulf News touches on frequently. It’s not racism, they are making it clear from the beginning what they are looking for instead of wasting everybody’s time, energy and taxi fare.
From Mr David Pramotheus
Dubai
Facebook comment
Endangered tigers
One of India’s greatest leaders, Mahatma Gandhi said: “The greatness of nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
I would like to highlight the grave issue of the endangered tigers. Until the 20th century, there were nine tiger subspecies. With only five subspecies left, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has declared the tiger endangered. With all tiger subspecies grouped together, there is an estimated 3,200 remaining in the wild - mostly in isolated pockets spread across increasingly fragmented forests stretching from India, China, Russia and Indonesia.
Why should we care about tigers? A healthy tiger population means a healthy ecosystem. When animals at the top or bottom of the food chain start to decline in numbers, it’s a clear sign that the entire ecosystem is in trouble.
These ecosystems supply both Nature and people with fresh water, food, and many other vital resources. I believe that by saving the tiger, we are saving people, too.
These beautiful cats are threatened by growing human populations, loss of habitat, forest destruction, illegal hunting for their pelts, meat and body parts used in folk medicines. As individuals, I would implore you all to give a gift that will help protect the future of Nature. Adopt a tiger. Your symbolic adoption will support the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) global efforts to protect wild animals and their habitats.
I hope I have highlighted this grave issue to all and that we will do our utmost to help preserve this endangered and magnificent species.
From Mr Mehweesh T. Kadegaonkar
Sharjah
Continuously higher rents
Landlords fleece tenants whenever the lease deed is due on a flat. Expatriates are 88 per cent of the population in the UAE. A large chunk of the expatriates’ hard earned money is eaten up by landlords, who are so unscrupulous. I have heard of hikes of even 25 per cent every year for some.
The landlords increase the rent without any additional comforts added to the value of the flat. The landlords dictate the terms without any justification. Money is the only consideration.
From Mr Pratap Alukal
Dubai
Editors’ note: Is there a news report that you feel strongly about? Something that has to be addressed in the community and requires resolution? Email us on readers@ gulfnews.com. You can also post a comment on our Facebook page or tweet us @GNReaders.
