Fine ambulance chasers!
I was travelling towards Dubai from Abu Dhabi on Shaikh Zayed Road, almost near the World Trade Centre when I noticed an ambulance trying to make way through the heavy traffic. Its driver was finally able to get to the emergency lane and was trying to gain speed to reach its destination. I was alarmed to notice that two bikers, one a delivery guy and another a normal rider were trying to follow it bumper to bumper.
This is an extremely dangerous driving habit and those found using emergency lanes and following speeding ambulances should be reprimanded and heavily fined. They are not thinking of the danger when or if the ambulance driver has to suddenly apply the brakes!
Let us think about road safety at all times. It is our responsibility to remain safe.
From Mr Ramesh Menon
Abu Dhabi
Not always practical!
It’s easy to say that you will do all these things to save money (‘8 things to stop wasting your money on in 2017’, Gulf News, January 23). I can’t avail on the internet alone without a telephone and cable. Actually, my internet provider won’t seem to allow it. As for avoiding bank fees, if the maintaining balance is less than Dh3,000 in my current account where my salary is, they charge Dh25 per month. We need bottled water since the tap water is quite salty and the water tanks in many buildings are not properly maintained. Buying filters is costly, too, and I would not jeopardise my health.
From Mr Jonjon Zenitram
UAE
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Help us with rent
The rent for a one bedroom apartment is approximately Dh50,000 to Dh60,000 or more! Monthly rent will be Dh4,000 and above. Here many people earn less than Dh4,000. There should be more tips on how to cope with rent. Living is never easy for lower middle class people. Let’s hope the authorities help expatriates to get through their tough times.
From Ms Nima Unr
UAE
Facebook comment
School is a right
Schooling and education is a basic right of all children (‘3,000 children try luck for 120 school seats’, Gulf News, January 22). Having a lucky draw for kindergarten one (KG1) seats is just a money making business. It also makes children and parents lose hope before they even start school.
From Ms Ashiyana Firoz
Dubai
Facebook comment
Frantic search
There should be a better way than the existing system. The rest of the children and parents will be left in a frantic hurry to look for other schools whose admissions are still open.
From Ms Saaima Mukhtar
Abu Dhabi
Facebook comment
Unaffordable fees
Many schools seem to be making money of fees that are so high that parents have gone into debt. It’s madness as education, books and knowledge is almost the same, so why make parents suffer so much? Please make education affordable for all. Fees are like Dh25,000 to Dh30,000, which is unbelievable.
From Ms Zakia Adnan
Dubai
Facebook comment
Difficult to apply
Getting admission in any British curriculum school in Abu Dhabi is also very difficult. I applied in many different schools and never received a response even though I was one of the first 10 applicants. The reason is that these schools are having lower tuition fees than others and have no criteria of admission to KG1 applicants.
From Mr Mohammad Altaf
UAE
Facebook comment
It’s all talk
It really is horrible that we, as people of the world, speak and think about our impact on the environment, but the action has to come from governments (‘Earth breaks heat record in 2016 for third year in a row’, Gulf News, January 19). Even that isn’t happening at all, except for a few. High profile people speak, but once they come to power, they forget everything and such things remain in magazines, newspapers, colleges or universities. Some organisation arrange ‘green’ days by planting trees, but nobody takes action or preventive measure to stop the poison gases discharged from thousands of factories around the world. Because factories belongs to big and high profile people, they have all the excuses to defend themselves. We have a right to speak and that’s why we are speaking and doing nothing else.
From Mr Mohammad Naeem
UAE
Facebook comment
Research investments
It’s sad to know that more than 25,000 people lost their hard-earned savings at different institutes that offered huge returns for their funds (‘Why do people fall for bogus schemes?’, Gulf News, January 22). People tend to invest in these schemes hoping to get 10 to 15 per cent interest per month, which no other financial institute offers. We have in the past heard of such scams in Kerala in the name of goat farms, teak estates, apartments and many other scams. In all these scams, the losers are often non-resident Indians (NRI). Many of them fall prey to the convincing advertisements and lucrative profits that these companies project. They even rope in big names to gain the trust of the people. It is the hard-earned money of people that these cons swindle away.
People are greedy to earn more within a short span of time and they fall into these financial traps and lose huge sums. They should be more vigilant and learn lessons from previous scams. It’s always good to get an opinion from a financial and legal expert before we do any investment. The media is doing the right job by exposing such scams and making people aware so that less people fall victim. Let us be more cautious and careful before doing any investment so we do not lose our hard-earned money.
From Mr Eappen Elias
Dubai
Working together
Terrorism is the biggest and ugliest threat in the world (‘UAE, India to sign 16 agreements’, Gulf News, January 23). Now the UAE has come forward to support India in combating this threat. The UAE has promised to boost bilateral defence and security ties during his present visit to India. It is a good step to see that two peace loving countries like the UAE and India join hands against terrorism. Long live the UAE.
From Mr Sunny Joseph
Mala, India
Trump time
US President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of United States. The inauguration marked the commencement of the four year term. He is more of a shrewd businessman than a statesman. Whether his temperament, values and (in)experience are appropriate for the coveted role are yet to be seen. Whether he will be able to build a government that works for everyone, bridge cultural chasms, make the economy stronger, build unity and give equal opportunity to everyone and, most importantly, whether he will lead by example and practise what he preaches, these are some of the apprehensions that most people fear. In his victory speech in November, Trump said that he wanted to bind the wounds of division and be a president for all Americans. Will he be able to fulfil his noble promises and make America great again? Only time will tell.
From Ms Jayashree Kulkarni
Abu Dhabi
Prices go up
Salaries are the main reason people want to change jobs (‘98% of professionals in Mideast are looking for jobs’, Gulf News, January 24). Prices of all things, especially food, has gone higher than expected. People need money to fulfil their family’s requirements, still the UAE is much better than other places.
From Mr Lawangen Khan
Islamabad, Pakistan
Facebook comment
Prayers for families
At least 32 people have been killed in latest Indian rail disaster (‘Maoist sabotage probed in train crash’, Gulf News, January 23). In recent months, a few accidents have been happening on Indian railways. Despite so many safety precautions, accidents are happening due to error and terror. This incident happened in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and it’s suspected to have been orchestrated by Maoists hands. However, the investigation is on. Passengers’ safety and preventive measures are more important today. Travel has become a tough choice today either by road, rail or air. Indian railways should be more alert and make travel more comfortable and safe. I pray for the victims and the grieving family members.
From Mr K. Ragavan
Bengaluru, India
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