July 17, 2008

A safe shopping experience

I am a regular reader of Gulf News and impressed with the way news reports and commentaries are handled. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the security staff at Ibn Battuta Mall for helping me find my lost son. Recently, my family and I were shopping at the mall and having a wonderful time, when all of a sudden one of my sons got lost in the crowd. I couldn't help but cry when we couldn't locate him after some time. Luckily, a security guard approached us and asked if we had any problem. On informing him of our situation, he called up an official, who then found my son in a matter of minutes. We were absolutely delighted and thanked the security guard profusely. I even offered him money for his help but he refused, saying he was just doing his job.
From Mr John Smith
Dubai

Bad service

I am one of many people in Sharjah who is disgusted with the taxi service. A recent experience involved a taxi driver who took off hastily without giving me back my change. By the time I tried to note down the taxi's number, he had driven off too far. This was perhaps my second bad experience in a month. How many more such instances are commuters going to have to tolerate until stern action is taken to prevent these terrible standards of service?
From A Reader
Sharjah
Name withheld by request

Poor amenities

The basic facility of a public toilet is missing or scarce in most parks and play areas. The toilet in Khalidiya Park is filthy and does not have water most of the time. I urge the authorities to take up the matter and do the needful to ease the discomfort caused to the public.
From Mr Suresh Nair
Abu Dhabi

Encourage equally

I was very impressed to read that 81 per cent of students studying in the UAE's federal universities are females ("Plan to attract and keep more male students", Gulf News, July 11). I applaud Emirati women for this achievement. However, I was quite perturbed to read Professor Samir's statement wherein he "hopes to reverse that trend". I think this trend is excellent and speaks volumes about Emirati women. Please by all means, encourage the Emirati men to pursue higher education, but why is there a need to have a higher number of men than women in universities?
From Ms Puja Dass
Dubai

Moved out

We used to stay in Sharjah, until my husband got sick of the traffic congestion. Every day, we used to fight at home, carrying forward the frustration caused by bad roads and traffic blockades. Eventually, we left the UAE and have now settled elsewhere.
From Ms Jaspreet Kaur
Bahrain

No difference

There should be no difference in the prices of commodities in co-operative societies and supermarkets ("Relentless food price rises in UAE show no sign of abating", Gulf News, July 13). It is not easy to check on prices and go to 10 different places to buy essential items. The problem gets worse if even after checking the price, the required commodities are out of stock. Transport is another issue, as a lot of people might find it difficult to commute to different shopping malls for basic essentials.
From Mr Abazar B. Tunkiwala
Sharjah

Reminders

I, too, wear short skirts and sleeveless tops but that is in the West ("79 people arrested for indecency at Dubai beaches," Gulf News, July 13). I have been reading Gulf News and learnt that most tourists in the UAE are very indisciplined. I once saw a man and woman trying to kiss in public, but chose to ignore them and walked off. I think there needs to be leaflets or posters at various shopping malls reminding people of the right behaviour.
From Ms N. Rai
UAE

Pack left overs

It is up to each individual to take action against the rising cost of living. We can all pitch in and avoid unnecessary wastage of food. I would suggest to people not to bin the leftover food purchased at food courts and instead to pack them. Food outlets could serve the food items in take-away packages as is done by most international fast food chains. If not, they could conjure up some innovative ways for people to take away left overs without any hassle.
From Ms Mahnaaz Shaikh
Dubai

Investigations

Private education has become nothing short of a business in the UAE ("Parents in UAE say high fees do not mean better education", Gulf News, July 13). The manner in which schools are increasing tuition and transportation fees is ruthless. Authorities should start investigating the financial accounts of schools to see whether they are taking any advantage by way of earning more profits as compared to previous years, with an unprecedented increase in the fee structure. Parents have no option left but to pay the fees. I hope the authorities stop this injustice and curtail the exploitation by school authorities.
From Mr M. A. Nazer
Dubai

Time out

This is with reference to the letter by Mr Ragnar Purje ("Respectable lot", Gulf News, July 10). I am a teenager myself and although I don't side with rebellious teenagers, I would like to point out that all the 'knowledgeable' adults Mr Purje talks about were once teenagers themselves. So they should know that it is a stage filled with dilemmas and difficult decisions. But with patience, understanding, open communication and dialogue, most problems parents of teenagers face do get solved. Teenagers, too, for their part must respect their parents and try to fulfil their wishes.
From Ms J. Sequeira
Dubai