June 14, 2008

Lighter hearts

The pay increase for school teachers is welcome news and has lightened the hearts of many teachers ("Dh6,000 housing-allowance increase for public school teachers in Abu Dhabi", Gulf News, June 8). We are pleased that the authorities have heard our woes. But what about private school teachers who are locally recruited and are being paid a flat salary? I hope their concerns will be heard as well.
From Ms Mercy Anil John
Abu Dhabi

Value for money

I was intrigued to read that Gulf News, which I consider to be one of the top English newspapers in the UAE, is 30 years old. I was even more interested to observe that on its debut in September 1978, the paper retailed at Dh1, and 30 years on, it sells at only Dh3. Despite the fact that new technology has put pressure on competition in the news reporting industry, the price of the paper has only increased by Dh1 per decade. This is excellent news, as the paper is printed at top quality. What better definition can one have of 'value for money'?
From Mr Nnamdi O. Madichie
London, UK

Fuel to fire

Gulf News' report on the newly increased visit visa fees came as an unpleasant surprise for expatriates ("Visit visa to the UAE will cost Dh500 from August", Gulf News, June 8). Earlier, a three-month visit visa cost Dh600, with the renewal fee. However, the new rule adds Dh400 to the already high charge. I request the authorities to reconsider the visa fee structure, especially for the sake of expatriates who occasionally bring down their parents and relatives to the UAE. The fee increase will affect the budget of families and will add fuel to the fire.
From Mr K. Ragavan
Ajman

Added burden

The new visa fee is similar to that of the UK or US, but these countries do not have restrictions for expatriates who want to sponsor friends. It does not make sense to adopt the fee structure of other countries without considering their complete programmes. Previously, any expatriate with a salary of Dh10,000 could sponsor friends, which was a reasonable condition. But with the upcoming introduction of a value added tax (VAT), the additional costs of visa fees are an added burden.
From Ms M. K.
Dubai
Full name withheld by request

Astonishing

I never cease to be amazed by the number of stories I have come across in Gulf News over the years about honest taxi drivers returning thousands of dirhams to passengers ("Abu Dhabi taxi driver rewarded for returning money", Gulf News, June 9). I am not surprised by the honesty of these drivers, but rather by the fact that there seem to be so many people in the country travelling with so much money! How are they able to casually forget thousands of dirhams in taxis? It is astonishing.
From Mr Najeeb Zaman
UAE

Little love lost

While surfing the internet recently, I came across discussion forums related to India and Pakistan. After going through some discussions, it occurred to me that these forums would be better termed as 'mud slinging forums'. It was apparent that there is little love lost between forum members hailing from the two countries. I was surprised to find that some forum visitors were from countries like Canada and the US, as their experiences abroad did nothing to change their perspectives. Thankfully, there were also several moderate voices from both sides that reprimanded unruly visitors and encouraged civil discussions, but such voices were few and far between.
From Mr Mukul Tiwari
India

Right step

The authorities have taken the right step forward by penalising Abu Dhabi taxi drivers who refuse to take passengers to their destinations ("Steering Abu Dhabi cabbies to the right track", Gulf News, June 9). However, there should also be a crackdown on taxi drivers that do not use the system, especially late at night, and instead force passengers to pay high rates. Such activities should not be tolerated, and I appeal to all passengers to bring such drivers to the attention of the authorities so that they can stand corrected.
From Mr Ronnie Ramirez
Abu Dhabi

Blame the parents

We often hear and read about children becoming addicted to television and computers ("Distracted youth", Your Turn, Gulf News, June 9). I believe the real culprits are the parents. Often, they do not have the effective means to engage their children in various other activities. Additionally, they find it easier not to be disturbed at home by allowing them to watch television. Children should not be completely prohibited from doing so, but should rather be allowed to watch television or use the computer in right doses. Otherwise, all activities are secondary to television and its programmes.
From Ms Roji Jacob George
Dubai

Tolls don't help

I was very surprised to learn about the introduction of two new Salik toll gates on the Al Safa interchange and on Al Maktoum Bridge ("New Salik toll gate ready on Al Maktoum Bridge", Gulf News, June 9). Although it is very comforting to know that the toll gates will not be activated till September, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) should realise that these toll gates will not curb traffic. In order to escape the toll gates, motorists will take alternative routes to reach their destination, and create congestions on those routes. This argument has been repeatedly put forward, but to no avail.
From Mr Mayank Mathur
Dubai