Well fought!
Congrats Amritha (‘Kerala girl stands up to sexual abuse,’ Gulf News, February 17)! I am glad that finally Indian women are beginning to stand up and fight against the abuse - verbal or otherwise. I wish and hope the day would come when people would think a 100 times before they abuse women for whatever reason. Women empowerment has to begin at home and parents should inculcate the feeling of self-appreciation and self esteem in their female children. Only then will they be able to fight against any abusive acts directed towards them or other around them.
From Ms Laxmi Nair
Dubai
Website comment
Raise your voices
Good that this girl stood up against the abusers. But how many will have the courage to reciprocate in the same manner. In this case the bystanders also helped, due to which they could nab the driver of the vehicle. We as bystanders should not think about the legal issues that may follow if we intervene. People around in such times can make a big difference by coming forward to help the victim. Their support is very vital for the victim not only to stand against the harassers but also will give immense confidence and courage to fight back. It is high time that we all should act wisely and responsibly to avert such incidents. It can happen to any one of us and it is the bound duty of any citizen to voice against such evils. I fail to understand how people can behave like this. The whole group should be named and shamed. This is the only way to put an end to such malicious behaviour. There are certain people in the society who think that they can get away without any consequences. Law should take stringent action against them and everyone should know what happens to such hooligans after they are caught. This will definitely create awareness and fear amongst people who have such tendencies. This kind of acts is preposterous and such miscreants should be isolated from the main stream, so that our future generation can live in peace.
From Mr Shivshankar K T
Dubai
Emergency tips
Once again an incident of cruise control failure put precious lives at risk. I wonder if the modern car manufacturing companies, which are busy developing new technologies are taking note of it. Safety features are said to be at the forefront, but there is no escape for the driver in the event of a failure of cruise control. Usually the driver is forced to drive his car onto some obstructions like sand or other objects to stop it with the guidance of police who are helpless. I think cruise controls should be banned in new cars unless a solution is found to save precious lives put in danger due to the failure of this feature. I had also developed a habit of driving on cruise control driving and I wish to continue like many others taking the risk. However, one must remember tips in case of emergency, switch off the engine, changing the gear to neutral and slowly apply the handbrake. If any car manufacturing company comes out with a solution to this problem, I am sure it will be a unique selling point.
From Mr J Joseph
Abu Dhabi
Unnecessary troubles
I feel it is irrelevant to surrender the National Identity card for the visa cancellation process (‘UAE national IDs required to cancel visas,’ Gulf News, February 15). My visa has just been renewed and I have my National ID card for which I had paid the applicable fee. I am in the process of changing my job and it will be very expensive for me to apply for a new ID card, considering I have three dependants under my sponsorship. I hope the concerned authorities find a way to edit the existing card upon visa cancellations, as it will save people like me from wasting time, money and plastic.
From Mr Rajesh Janardhanan
UAE
Create a better environment
I know that the trash bins in the parks and other public areas are placed to efficiently dispose of the rubbish. But the municipality needs to watch the condition of these bins, especially in Sharjah. Most people leave their garbage around the bins, rather than inside them. Very often the bins are already over filled, which leave no option for people to leave their garbage outside, inviting flies. But, yes even if they are empty, many people don’t bother taking a few extra steps towards them. I have noticed that there are places with very attractive signs and phrases on trash bins to attract people, but all the effort seems to go in vain. There are also people, who throw the garbage out of their cars while driving and enjoying their food inside. I wonder how they don’t think about pollution that at some stage might return to bother them. A healthy environment means a healthy nation. All of us must dispose our garbage efficiently.
From Ms Samina Kausar
UAE
(To go with a picture)
Nature has created every creature in its own way. As humans it’s our responsibility to respect it. I was disturbed on my last visit to the Al Ain Zoo, where I noticed that the giraffes were struggling to eat the grass that was spread on the ground. By nature the giraffe cannot bend to the ground so he eats the grass from tress because it cannot bend low to the ground. It was very disappointing that there were no proper arrangements made for the giraffes. I kindly request zoo authorities to look into this issue.
From Ms Praveena Kolli
Sharjah
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