Labourers dashing across streets worry motorists in Sharjah

Sharjah: Labourers who come out in droves on the streets in the evenings are not only a nuisance but also a danger to motorists, residents said.

The situation on the streets has become chaotic since the ban by the municipality on picking up and transporting labourers from residential areas. Bus owners and companies who flout the rules are fined Dh5,000.

The municipality acted on complaints from families in residential areas who objected to workers living in their districts.

Bus owners now drop labourers near the Sharjah gold souq, Al Mussalla, Maysaloon and Al Khan. The labourers then walk to their accommodation, much to the annoyance of motorists who have to stop suddenly when the labourers dash across the streets.

Hareb Al Tunaiji, Head of the Security Section at Sharjah Municipality, said that the "inspectors are investigating the issue, and are following the labourers to their accommodation. If it is confirmed that the labourers are living in the city, the companies will be fined," he said.

Companies should provide labour accommodations outside the city in the Industrial Areas and Al Saja'a because it is prohibited to house labourers in residential areas, according to Al Tunaiji.

Traffic

Francis D'costa, a long time Indian resident of Sharjah, said that he almost hit a labourer when he was at the Kuwaiti roundabout.

He said, "A group of labourers was waiting to cross the street and the traffic was on the move. It was in the evening. All of a sudden, a labourer dashed across the street and I almost hit him. He took me by surprise. It would have been a fatal road accident."

Labourers told Gulf News that they have to walk a long way home after a hard day at work. Kabeer Singh, an Indian labourer said, "Everyone complains about us but no one is willing to listen to the problems that we have. We were quite happy when we would get dropped off at the accommodation. Now we have to walk three to five kilometres to our accommodation."