Common curtesy
Aside from fining men in women’s only cabins on the Metro, the Road and Transport Authority (RTA) should also impose a penalty to those who are blocking the path of commuters getting off the train (‘Dubai Metro: Dh100 fine slapped on male riders found in women-and-kids only cabins’, Gulf News, March 7). I’m a regular commuter who uses the Metro, and I encounter this kind of scenario almost every day. Some people are always trying to sneak in without giving enough space or courtesy to outgoing passengers and, worse, sometimes they end up in shouting matches. If RTA is really serious about this policy, they must also look into this. I would like also to recommend that all passengers practise proper hygiene, as foul odour can contaminate the entire cabin.
From Ms Fatima
Dubai
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More space needed
To do this, RTA should either relax the rule at peak periods or run the trains more frequently. The current end result is that the women’s section is quite empty, but the passengers in the rest of the train are packed in like sardines.
From Mr Chris
Dubai
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Staff presence
If they extended the cabin for women in the train and the male passengers didn’t know how to read or just ignored the signs and there were no staff there to tell them, how will this change? Once I told a man that the cabin was only for women, but he didn’t respond, and he just ignored me. Can RTA put at least one staff member in the train for assisting us?
From Ms Joan
Dubai
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More fines
Even if there is a fine, many male passengers aren’t aware. They’re still in the women’s coach, and I don’t know if they can read or understand what is written. I’m hoping to see more fines levied on those who are not following the rules.
From Ms Mhe Iam
Dubai
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Longer stops
Slapping a fine on men using the women and children only cabins is a really great move, as I have seen a lot of men standing and sitting there. Also, I would suggest if more inspectors can be deployed in other coaches, too, as lots of people can be seen chewing gum and drinking water or cola. Even the door blockers should be fined. They block passenger traffic flow while entering or exiting the train. One important thing should not be forgotten - the stoppage time should be increased at the stations so that passengers don’t need to rush.
From Mr Naresh Kumar Devra
Dubai
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Greater segregation
It is good to have dedicated compartments for women and children but, on the other hand, women should not be allowed to access the other area, where lots of women are present.
From Mr Ahmad
Dubai
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Bound to happen
In a country where the justice system is a laugh, angry mobs attacking criminals is something that is bound to happen in my country where citizens have grown frustrated (‘Mob lynches rape suspect in Indian city’, Gulf News, March 7). I’m proud of the people in my country. Just because the government cannot take care of the issues, they are pushing for more. You cannot talk about human rights to people who do not care about the human rights of others - like rapists who obviously don’t care. Nagaland is one of my most favourite places in India. Though it is an unsafe place, I did feel much more safe there than in our capital city.
From Mr Vishnu Rajendran
Abu Dhabi
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Thinking twice
This is inhumane, terrifying and a slap on the security of the state police. But, at the same time, I believe this is a good message to anyone who thinks of doing such a crime. They will definitely think twice before committing a rape.
From Mr Shazzaib
Dubai
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A good system
In India, every building once completed has to be registered so that the owner of each apartment is a shareholder (‘Where the onus lies after a building fire in UAE’, Gulf News, March 7). The society is governed by the laws of the Cooperative Housing Societies Act, and it is solely responsible for the management, maintenance and repairs of the building on behalf of the apartment owners. Here, since an outside facility management company is appointed, either they have to take the full responsibility of the building or let the owners form their own society to do the same. The added advantage in forming the owner’s society will be that it will be a non-profit entity and the burden of monthly maintenance fees will be drastically lower. Secondly, it will have full freedom to select and decide which company to award certain maintenance and repair works to the building on a regular basis.
From Mr Rizwan Kazi
Dubai
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Oversight by authorities
The points made here explain exactly why overview by the authorities is needed. We need to prevent occupancy until such a time when the authorities have reviewed the property to ensure that mandatory insurance is in place. If your own apartment is damaged and you are uninsured, then it’s your responsibility. If hundreds live in a high-rise tower, the building itself must be insured to protect the interests of all residents. Overview by the authorities can ensure the building is insured and all are protected.
From Mr Louie Tedesco
Dubai
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Taking proper measures
Hygiene has become a very critical issue across the globe (‘India swine flu toll reaches 1,289’, Gulf News, March 7). We don’t realise how we take hygiene for granted on a day-to-day basis. Doing small things, like washing our hands regularly and sneezing properly can protect us, as well as others, from a lot of dangerous sicknesses.
From Mr Mosa
Sharjah
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Caring for others
Swine flu or any other infectious diseases are not limited to nationality. One must pray that such diseases do not spread to further neighbourhoods, friends, relatives and family. The UAE authorities have taken a good step by warning its citizens. Now is the time to take further precautions by spreading awareness to residents. For those who take this as a joke, please stop. This is a very serious problem! This is not fun. Rather, it’s a matter of pain and suffering, especially to the poorer populations that don’t have access to proper medical care. Being a human, one must do the best to ease the suffering of fellow human beings and, if not, then the least you can do is pray for them.
From Mr Habeeb Hassan
Dubai
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More dedication
The informative piece by Mohammad Hassan Al Harbi was indeed thought provoking (‘Medical malpractice: A bitter pill to swallow?’, Gulf News, March 7). Not all men are meant to be doctors. As it says, there are doctors and then there are doctors. Rarely do we come across someone who is really dedicated and wedded to this responsible and noble profession. The inexperienced doctors make wrong diagnoses. Supervision by the senior doctors is highly necessary to minimise medical malpractice done by some who are irresponsible.
From Thomas Matthew Parackel
Kerala, India
A hard lesson
This was an unfortunate incident of the baby dying of pesticide poisoning and may the departed soul rest in peace (‘Newborn dies of suspected pesticide poisoning in Sharjah’, Gulf News, March 5). Again, this is a repeating incident for years. The authorities should take strict action against those who sell these chemicals. These killer pesticides should be made available only to professionals that are trained and licensed at companies so that these kinds of mishaps can be minimised. In some buildings without pest control, it’s impossible to live. However, forcing the building owners to conduct pest control throughout the whole building every six months is also another option for the authorities so that all these kinds of issues can be avoided to some extent. Please, utilise this hard lesson for the future, so no such accidents will happen again.
From Mr Haneef Puttur
Abu Dhabi
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Raise awareness
These types of accidents have happened several times, but who will care enough so it doesn’t happen again? Awareness should be given through media to people.
From Ms Lali Cherian
Dubai
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Strict regulation
There have been previous similar incidences and usually the victims are innocent. This is a serious matter, which the authorities have to strictly monitor. They should involve the owner of the building to impose certain rules regarding pest control and other related health and safety regulations for all the tenants, and it should be included in their contract. Any violations of such rules will face legal charges.
From Ms G. Marie
Abu Dhabi
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