On the spot
I think the Emirates ID cards should be delivered on the spot when the applicant comes for scanning (‘No courier delivery of ID cards’, Gulf News, January 1). I don’t think it would be a problem for the authorities — it is like issuing a driving licence. The authorities should let the applicant wait until the card is printed and should be handed over on the spot. This will minimise all these hassles. Also, it would be great for the applicant, as he or she would not need to waste time in collecting the ID card or following up. This will also make sure that all the printed cards will reach the right person.
From Mr Haneef Puttur
Sharjah
One-day service
I strongly agree with the comment that the ID card should be made available immediately after a successful completion of registration — just like how they do with the car registration by the Roads and Transport Authority. A short wait for the card to be printed out and issued on the same day is way better than all the hassle of coming for it another day.
From Mr Roy
Dubai
A strong leader
Terming India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the weakest PM is not fair (‘India’s weakest premier’, Gulf News, January 2). He is the Prime Minister of India at a very bad time and the government has to depend on so many regional parties to function. In fact, it is not the PM who is weak — he is a leader with high integrity and political parties should have campaigned highlighting his qualities. But the Congress Party is more keen on selling Indian politician Rahul Gandhi and they are leaving the PM to get eclipsed among all these problems and allegations. India should have been proud of such a PM. Unfortunately, the people and the media look for sensationalised stories with short-term advantages.
From A Reader
Dubai
Inconvenience
An embassy or a consulate is the architectural representative of a country. However, the Pakistani Embassy was very difficult for the people. Most of the people leave their home early in the morning to come from other emirates since there is only one embassy in the country that renews passports. Since there is only one counter for each task, the crowd is huge and consists of many newborns, toddlers and infants who have to wait as long as the adults, resulting in them being cranky, which disturbs and irritates other people. The building itself is in a deplorable condition where the air conditioning hardly works, the seating facilities are in ruins and the walls are dirty. To make matters worse it takes hours to renew one passport. All these practices are not only time consuming but also quite inconvenient for all the working people who have to step out of the office for hours just to renew their passports.
From Ms Wafa Sadiq
UAE
Complain later
Last month my house’s water usage reading was high compared to previous months, resulting in a higher bill (‘Consumers should ensure Sewa meters work properly, official says’, Gulf News, January 1). When I went to complain to the Sharjah Water Electricity Authority (Sewa), the office engineer suggested that I wait for readings of the next two or three months and then register a complaint. This means Sewa might charge me extra money due to the faulty unit and would not take corrective action.
From Mr Mahesh
Sharjah
Faulty meters
Sewa should not charge tenants if the unit is faulty. Instead, they should return the money that is paid in excess to the actual consumption that the tenant used — this should be done after a thorough investigation by the authority. Sewa is checking this on a monthly basis for billing — they are the ones who will first know if the unit is working properly or not. Tenants are paying their bills but Sewa does not notice if the unit is in good condition or not. Sewa needs to improve their system.
From A Reader
Sharjah
