Checks and alarms save lives

Checks and alarms save lives

I am quite shocked after reading the recent incident of the six-year-old girl left in a school bus due to negligence of the caretakers in Ajman (‘Girl, 6, left behind in school bus in Ajman’, Gulf News, April 21). Thanks to God, the girl was rescued in time. Such cases are happening due to human error and the loss of life of a child can never be reconciled by any fine or punishment given. Firstly, the attendant and the driver should check the bus after dropping the children off at school and home. It’s a five-minute job to check the bus, but it may save someone’s life. Secondly, we should have more safety options. If the buses have devices installed near the doors, like safety alarms in banks that may alert the school or police in such cases, it wouldn’t be such a big problem. All small children should be trained to use it in case they are left alone in the bus. Nothing can be more precious than life, which should not be lost due to negligence.

From Ms Swati Agnihotri

Abu Dhabi

Closer vigilance needed

It is really sad to hear another girl was a victim to the negligence of a school and its transport staff. What would have happened if the kind-hearted Sudanese man didn’t notice the child? It would have really turned out to be a disaster. If the bus, which was parked in the industrial area, had been in a place where no one passes through, the parents would have probably received a phone call that was much worse. Who is to blame for such disastrous mistakes? The authorities and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) should take serious steps regarding such issues. If such incidents are repeated in the school, it should be shut down completely for one month with a hefty fine, so that the school transport authorities take action. First of all, the outsourcing of the school bus services is the main source of negligence, wherein I find they clearly do not have much concern for such serious issues. Secondly, the traffic department should conduct surveys with the schools about how they prioritise child safety in school transport. I hope with this issue, the authorities and schools all over the UAE will come up with a solution in order to avoid such disastrous incidents. Children up to grade four or grade five should be kept under the surveillance of the school and the transport authorities.

From Mr Prasad Warrier

Sharjah

Concerned parents need assurances

As a parent of a teenage girl, I strongly suggest having stricter regulations for school transport, as children should never be left behind or neglected by the driver and the bus assistant. Parents leave their children with the school and go for their daily work with the assurance that their children will return home safely. Such incidents, like the one in Ajman, have increased the anxiety of each parent who sends his/her child to school by the transport system in place. As my daughter’s school does, children punch in and out to assure school management and parents of their safety. Please make the regulations strict, to safeguard our little ones and, thus, create a safer society.

From Ms Rekha Biju Varghese

UAE

Gandhi speaks for the people

Raising a reinvigorated, audibly pro-people voice, Rahul Gandhi is back in the arena (‘Resurgent Rahul attacks Modi government’, Gulf News, April 20). His ‘kisan mazdoor’ or farmers’ rally had a dual purpose: to draw a political battle line against Narendra Modi’s government and create a re-emergence platform for Gandhi, the Congress party’s vice president, who was missing from public life for over a month and a half. Both purposes were served to an extent. Farmers from surrounding states clustered around him to lend him their ears. He attacked Modi’s policies and speeches with a vengeance. He said that it was sad and unfortunate that India’s prime minister thinks that the sweat and toil the farmers and workers have put in to build India, was all just dirt. Anyhow, Gandhi is tipped to take over as the president of the Congress party soon. One hopes that in the next election, his party will sweep up a majority of the 543 seats, because he is a good man. His policies have always had a human face, which is a rare phenomenon among the present Indian politicians.

From Mr Sunny Joseph

Mala, India

You can’t fool the people

Rejuvenated Gandhi has finally spoken in Indian parliament. But, what he said in his speech, is the key. As expected, it was full of rhetoric and lacked substance. He aggressively attacked Modi with one-liners to the merriment of his party’s Members of Parliament (MP). If he had spoken about what the issues are, with the amended land bill, it would have made a meaningful speech. This again proves his lack of knowledge on issues of national importance. There are some pertinent questions that must be answered by the Congress party, which ruled the country for more than 50 years. What did they do to improve the lives of farmers? What did they do when they were in power for a whole decade, when there were thousands of farmers committing suicide? Did they ever address the issue seriously?

Their government in Maharashtra in fact reduced compensation to farmers. Where were Rahul and Sonia Gandhi then? When the lands were given at throwaway prices to Robert Vadra by the Haryana government, why did the Gandhis not raise a voice against it? Where were they when the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Ashok Khemka, who exposed the misdeeds of the Haryana government vis-a-vis land deals, was harassed and transferred? It is the hypocrisy and double-speak of the Congress party that has landed them where they are now. Playing politics with issues affecting the common man will not help any political party in the long run, even though it may pay dividends in the short term. People of the country are wise and they know who speaks the truth. They cannot be fooled!

From Mr Ganeshan Srinivasan

UAE

Refugees hoping for more

According to news reports, more than 700 migrants lost their lives when an overcrowded boat capsized between the Libyan and Italian coast (‘EU calls summit to tackle migration crisis’, Gulf News, April 21). Due to the silence of the world community, the Mediterranean has become a large graveyard for illegal migrants, most of them coming from the world’s poorest and most war-affected countries. Italy accused other countries of not doing enough to stop the flood of illegal immigrants. Unfortunately, the UK, Italy and other European Union (EU) countries have decided not to take part in any rescue operations in the Mediterranean sea to save the lives of the illegal immigrants. The EU and other counties fear that the rescue operations will encourage more people to take to the dangerous sea, in the hope of a better life and future in a European country. Due to war, poverty and political uncertainly, thousands of people have tried to reach Europe by sea. Most of the people are coming from North Africa and war-torn Syria.

Due to financial difficulties and the recession, Italy and other EU countries find it hard to deal with the large number of illegal immigrants. Thousands of people are still detained in illegal detention centres in inhumane conditions. The true reality is that these dangerous journeys across the Mediterranean are due to wars and poverty and it has become a big question for the conscience of the United Nations (UN) members and the developed world. Unfortunately, the UN and the world community is not doing enough to stop the flow of illegal immigrants. Without solving the basic reason for these migrations, we cannot solve the issue of illegal immigrants, who risks their lives for a better future.

From Mr Khawaja Omar Farooq

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Insufficient safety and regulations

I doubt we have learnt something from past incidents that killed several hundred immigrants when boats capsized. With the latest incident, it has once again proven that maritime safety regulations hold absolutely no respect for some people and maritime authorities are simply allowing such voyages to continue. Rather than calling for a special summit, taking action is important to stop this from happening again and again. On most occasions, asylum seekers have turned into victims of such unforgettable calamities, and one must understand that people who continue struggling to survive often get very little support from those who are responsible. On the other hand, there were also reports about the boats containing insufficient safety installations and carrying more than the permissible weight, in terms of people and their belongings. At the same time, there is an urgent need to review the labour and immigration policies of countries where unauthorised entry of people is taking place very often.

From Mr Ramachandran Nair

Oman

No regard for charities

I can attest to charity boxes being filled with garbage because I have witnessed it in my residential area, when I try to donate something (‘Charity boxes stuffed with litter in Sharjah’, Gulf News, April 19). People have squeezed cans and trash inside the metal box, and I find it very sad. I think people who do this do not care for charity or have good etiquette. There should be fines for such people.

From Mr Nadeem

UAE

Website comment

Something wrong here

This is really an obscene amount of money for a boxing match (‘The staggering financial breakdown’, Gulf News, April 19). For a fight that will last under one hour, each fighter gets $150 million (Dh550 million)? What kind of payment is that? I think it only shows the pathetic state of human priorities in the form of demand. As a result, the rich are always getting richer.

From Mr Vivek

UAE

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