What you need to know:
- Readers write to us about the cricket world cup, the death of a 6-year-old and the midday break
Children onboard school buses should be monitored
The report of a 6-year-old boy who died after he was forgotten in a school bus for several hours in Dubai, saddened me (“Indian boy’s death in Dubai: Friend who used to wake him up missed bus”, Gulf News, June 17). My heartfelt condolences to the family of the child. We have unfortunately had similar incidents happen in the past. This should be an eye-opener for drivers and school authorities.
The incident shows that adequate care was not taken to ensure that all children leave the school bus. After dropping off children, the bus drivers should inspect the bus and make sure no children have fallen asleep or are hiding in the back. The vehicle should be thoroughly checked to make sure that all children have been dropped off. If proper care is not taken, these incidents will be repeated.
All buses must have a “break glass hammer” which can be used during an emergency. Children should also be taught to use this.
There were few incidents where parents had forgotten their children in their own cars, with the windows up. In this heat, the children suffocated and died. All parents must take care of their children. I appreciate the Dubai Police for creating regular awareness to avoid such painful accidents.
From Mr K. V. Shams Al Deen
Sharjah
Safety of children is paramount
The sad passing of six-year-old Mohammad Farhan brings our attention to a problem, which is surprisingly common.
I would like to start by conveying my condolences to his family and friends.
The safe transport of children is of paramount importance. The companies operating the transportation facilities must be held responsible for the safety of children. The personnel on these school buses should understand the seriousness of their responsibility.
When a bus has a conductor, it is his or her responsibility to check the bus at the end of each trip, to ensure that all children have safely disembarked.
If the bus does not have a conductor, which seems like the case here, then the driver of the bus should check the vehicle at the end of the trip, to ensure that all children have disembarked.
This action takes just about a few minutes, but it could save someone’s life. I am sure this is not an inconvenience. If any traffic laws need to be amended to allow the bus driver to leave his seat and make this check, I am sure the authorities can come up with a solution.
This is, of course, in addition to following all the other rules that exist for the safe transportation of children.
I sincerely hope that this will be the last time we will hear of an unfortunate incident like this.
From Mr Abhik Sarkar
UAE
Where are the inspections?
It was very sad to read about the death of a student inside a school bus. I would like to point out some more issues related to school buses. It is summer and many schools in Dubai and Sharjah do not have good air conditioning facilities. Some school bus air-conditioning facilities, especially in Sharjah, are not functioning properly. Some schools make more than two children sit on a seat, which is uncomfortable. In addition to this, most bus drivers start the air conditioning when they begin their journey. The bus takes time to cool. Because of this, many students face dehydration. This should be inspected and fines should be put in place.
From Ms Supriya. K
Dubai
Comments in poor taste
My hearty congratulations to the people of India and the Indian cricket team for their win over Pakistan on Sunday, June 16, at Manchester (“Cricket World Cup 2019: India vs Pakistan — What was the turning point?”, Gulf News, June 17). However, remarks made by Indian politician Amit Shah were uncalled for. He said, “Another strike on Pakistan”, and I think this reflects poorly on him. You cannot mix sports with politics. When will we have well educated citizens in Indian politics?
From Mr Mohammad Yousuf Khan
UAE
A deserved win
Congratulations to the Indian cricket team, especially captain Virat Kohli, Vice-captain Rohit Sharma and K. L. Rahul, for stitching a score that was a mammoth total against Pakistan. I would also like to congratulate Kohli for completing 11,000 runs in 222 One Day Internationals (ODI). Sharma completed a second century at the India versus Pakistan game, which is his second one in the ICC World Cup 2019.
Due credit must be given to Rahul, who patiently filled the opening slot with a half-century and a century partnership with Sharma, and managed to lay a good foundation for the rest of the team to make runs.
Then it was left to our bowlers to perform and take wickets of the opponents. Young Vijay Shankar, had his World Cup debut, but got out too soon. All in all, Pakistan team was out batted, out balled and out fielded at Manchester.
From Mr Vinay Mahadevan
UAE
A team effort
Congratulations to Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and his team, especially Rohit Sharma, who made a good score for India (“Cricket World Cup 2019: The secret behind Rohit Sharma’s century”, Gulf News, June 18).
Due credit should be given to Rahul as well for opening the match and creating a good partnership with Sharma. The untimely injury to our ace pacer Bhubaneshwar Kumar proved to be a boon to world cup debutant Vijay Shankar. Though the Pakistan team fought well, it was Kuldeep Yadav who blew their progress. Incidentally, the preaching of our legendary Indian cricketer Kapil Dev had the required result as Hardik Pandya too proved to be an all-rounder. He took two crucial wickets to stall Pakistan’s progress. All in all, it was a real team effort. The team needs to keep up this progress.
From Mr N. Viswanathan,
India
Pakistan needs to pick up
People were a little disappointed with the one-sided batting of the Indian team (“Cricket World Cup 2019: Sarfaraz refuses to give up on Pakistan hopes”, Gulf News, June 18). The bowling and batting done by the Indian team was extremely good, which resulted in their victory. Seeing the ground reality, the captain of the Pakistan team, Sarfaraz Ahmad opted to field first, and this decision resulted in his downfall. Whatever the circumstances, cricket is a game of luck with dedication. I would like to congratulate Kohli and his men for the victory.
From Mr K. Ragavan
Bengaluru, India
Only love for the game
During the recently concluded India versus Pakistan match, I bumped into a Pakistani fan after the match at a hotel venue. Instead of being hostile to each other, we were cordial and hugged each other, wishing each other for the next game.
From Mr Praveen Gupta
UAE
Help others in this heat
We fear of robots taking away our jobs, yet believe technology brings opportunity (“UAE summer to officially start on Friday”, Gulf News, June 20). Our lifestyle is constantly being reshaped by things many seem to have no control over. Hunger strikes, digital transformations and market expansions, and here you are, in the midst of everything, trying to live another day.
It’s been a couple of days, since I caught a glimpse of a tiny dove lying in the middle of an island next to the pavement. Vehicles passed by and left him in a cloud of smoke. The bird was famished as he lay in the heat of the setting sun. The feathers were dry as burnt toast. The small brown figure most probably needed to quench its thirst. The average temperature during the day reads above 40 degrees Celsius in the UAE. Thirst for water, hence, cannot be few and far between. We know all living organisms need water for survival. It is a temperature buffer, a metabolite, a solvent and creates a living environment.
Let’s try to stop for a couple of minutes to help another rise. Please take a minute to fill a cup of water to quench another’s unimaginable thirst. Our compassion, and the connections we build with other beings will determine our survival further.
From Ms Sanith Santhasa Piyadigamage
Dubai
