Drivers wait for police out of sight
This is with reference to the article on driving on the hard shoulder (‘2,000 drivers caught using hard shoulder in Sharjah’, Gulf News, April 10). I travel from Sharjah to Al Barsha, Dubai, to work every morning and back home in the evening. I use Maliha Road or the Sharjah Airport Road to reach Emirates Road. Since it is a two-lane road, traffic is usually bumper-to-bumper on both sides. People driving on the yellow line or overtaking from the hard shoulder are commonly seen here. Sometimes, we find police vehicles parked on the side of the road and that is the only time everybody drives in their lane and no overtaking takes place. But, the moment we pass the police vehicles and they are out of sight, people are back to their old ways of driving on the hard shoulder! It is such a dangerous practise, because the yellow line or hard shoulder is supposed to be used in emergencies for vehicles that have broken down or have flat tyres. But, with such bad driving habits, it is really dangerous to even stop the vehicle on the hard shoulder. The main reasons for these bad driving habits are lack of patience, no proper planning or time management for the journey and leaving late and putting other people’s lives at risk by driving dangerously. Most of the accidents on the road take place due to these reckless drivers. These drivers do not value the lives of the other people on the road. They not only risk their own lives, but also put other people’s lives at risk.
From Mr Ajeet Kumar S. Pillai
UAE
More traffic threats
Vehicles with red indicator lights are also a major threat for other motorists, in my opinion. If any one indicator bulb becomes faulty, people can misjudge the indication and confuse it with brake lights. While approaching a signal or an exit, the motorist might assume the driver ahead is in for a lane change, when in fact, he has just applied the brakes. These errors are a possibility.
From Mr Rajeev
UAE
Website comment
Proper time management
I drive daily and this is really a very good step taken by the authorities. I would suggest heftier fines and action on this matter, as this is really a very serious issue. People should leave earlier to reach their destination on time or they should be prepared to reach late. Whatever the case, they should not indulge in shortcuts that put others in danger.
From Mr N. I. Zam Al Deen
UAE
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Undignified to call Modi ‘brainless’
The Gulf News story says West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banarjee described Narendra Modi as ‘brainless’ (‘Mamata describes Modi as ‘brainless’, Gulf News, April 11). The comment made by the chief minister was unwarranted and she should not have used such undignified words for the country’s prime minister. She has so many defects and shortcomings from her governance that she is not fit to make any comments like this. It is a sad state of affairs.
From K. Ragavan
Bengaluru, India
Price may not create demand
The sudden increase of Samsung’s profits can be attributed to several things (‘Samsung and Apple clash with roll-out of new products’, Gulf News, April 11). First and foremost, the technology and applications it uses are cheap and freely available with other devices, with comparatively affordable prices. Ever since Samsung became a common brand name among all types of consumers, from lower middle-class to the affluent, some people have decided to shift their loyalties to other brands, which are considered to be premium among all mobile brands.
This shift in demand has resulted in converting Apple into the largest profit -earning company in the world and, simultaneously, has caused Samsung to lose its title as a global leader in smartphone technology, after six consecutive years of retaining it. In the event that Samsung is unable to generate as much revenue as planned on the S6 and S6 Edge models, the future of the global brand in mobile technology will be in the dark.
Definitely, the future of wireless devices is related to wearable technology, as more people use texts than voice calls these days. With the introduction of a 5G network, the entire communication system will undergo a revolutionary change in look and style.
From Mr Girish R. Edathitta
Dubai
Make good hygiene a routine
Unhygienic practices are becoming more common (‘Improving hygiene at Dubai restaurants’, Gulf News, April 13). I suppose keeping personal hygiene is instinctively part of human instinct and part of our everyday lives. Otherwise, we may be prone to diseases associated with unhygienic lifestyles and may affect other people’s health around us. Not to mention, we would make a bad impression on people who would then steer clear of us. Isn’t that quite embarrassing?
I have been a UAE resident for years and till date, I am still suffering from smelling either awful body odour or bad breath in buses, taxis and practically everywhere. It would be a relief if this stench dispersed through the touch of natural air outdoors, but it doesn’t. Instead, it is absorbed by the seats of public transport or left on door knobs, handle bars and other parts of transportation vehicles.
I am fervently calling for more attention from everyone to consider practising personal hygiene in their day-to-day lives. Proper hygiene needs to become a habit, moving forward. There is indeed a lot more to gain than lose, on account of giving yourself greater personal care and hygiene.
From Ms R. C.
UAE
Full name withheld on request
Disgraceful actions taken by family
In the case of the father, brother and uncle being accused of raping a teenager, there should be strict laws in these kinds of cases, as we see in Saudi Arabia (‘Father, brother, uncle accused of raping teen for two years’, Gulf News, April 12). I couldn’t believe that in West Bengal, India, the punishment for having a relationship with someone from another community, was for the 20-year-old girl to be raped by 13 men. This was on the order of the village court. It’s such a disgrace. Girls who have gone through these rapes will have to cope with so much mental torture and such difficulties, to finally survive this trauma.
From Ms Reshna
UAE
Website comment
Harsh sentencing needed
These culprits should be punished severely and the Indian judicial system should make death penalty as the standard punishment for rape.
From Mr Naresh Kumr Devra
UAE
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Enhancing transportation through the emirates
Glad to hear that the expansion of the Dubai Metro has been approved, as it is really good news (‘Mohammad approves Dubai Metro expansion to cover Expo 2020 site’, Gulf News, April 12). This will help many people. Nice think-tank work, but is there any chance expansion could be done to Sharjah also? The traffic there is really alarming. People’s health is decreasing due to massive four-hour commutes on the road, which can easily be done in an hour. I request the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to please discuss with the Sharjah authorities, how transportation can be enhanced.
From Mr Rizwan Ali
UAE
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