Remote areas need public buses

Residents of the picturesque but remote Wadi Al Helou have to travel all the way to Kalba to buy small grocery items

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Ahmad Eftekhar, Gulf News reader
Ahmad Eftekhar, Gulf News reader

Wadi Al Helou is located on the Sharjah-Kalba road. It is a beautiful valley with charming mosques and buildings that have wonderful architecture.

The authorities have developed two housing schemes in the area and there is also a 1.27-kilometre-long tunnel which is worth seeing, as it passes through a rocky mountain [between Al Madeeq and Al Qula'ei valleys].

However, life is not easy for the residents of Wadi Al Helou if they do not have their own mode of transport.

This is especially true for the female staff of nearby health care centres. Since there is no public transport facility in this route, they are forced to use private modes of transport, which often [ring up] a huge fare.

A one-way trip to Sharjah may cost between Dh125 and Dh200 and a trip to Kalba can cost between Dh75 and Dh120.

Moreover, there is no supermarket in the area — for small grocery items, people need to go all the way to Kalba.

I would like to request the authorities to introduce more cooperative supermarket chains in Wadi Al Helou, like they have done in so many other remote areas.

Also, adding a public bus service on this route would help, especially if it operates from Sharjah to Kalba.

 — The reader is a secretary based in Sharjah

Be a citizen reporter.  Tell us what is happening in your community. Write to us at  readers@gulfnews.com

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