NEWS FROM THE UAE
Excerpts from UAE Dailies
Dubai - Doctors offer labourers free healthcare
Dubai - May 10: A group of doctors from India has launched a scheme to provide free medical assistance to more than 1,000 labourers for the next three months. The Association of Kerala Medical Graduates (AKMG), which is made up of doctors who practice in the UAE, will give more than 1,000 health assistance cards to Venu Rajamony, the Consul General of India.
“The uniqueness of the scheme is that the consultations, relevant treatment and investigations are free for three months and the cards will be distributed on a need basis through the Consulate,” said a statement released by AKMG. About 50 clinics across the UAE will offer their support to the scheme during its initial phase.
“This scheme may be more beneficial than the one-day medical camps that are presently hosted for needy group by various associations where follow up treatment is not possible. “Here the poor and needy patient gets full free treatment,” the AKMG’s statement added. It currently offers medical education and health awareness programmes, and blood donation camps at labour accommodations across the country.
SEVEN DAYS
Three-month grace for no-smoking rule
DUBAI — May 10: The Dubai Municipality has said that shopping malls and marketing complexes will be given a three-month grace period for carrying out necessary changes in view of the smoking ban in the emirate.
Officials also stated that no legal action would be taken against anyone who violates the ban during this time because the municipality would be carrying out awareness campaigns.
Terming it as a gradual plan, Zuhoor Al Sabbagh, head of Clinics and Medical Services Section at the Public Health Department of the Dubai Municipality, said after three months, municipality inspectors would keep a check on violators.
"All this is a gradual process and all checks will be in place in the near future though. Right now, shopping malls need to act on the directions given to them. They can also contact the municipality for advice. The municipality will appoint people and form an authority with regard to the checks soon," Al Sabbagh said.
The officials of Dubai Municipality Clinic stated, "We have always been campaigning against smoking. This year we are contemplating a marathon and television shows in which doctors would be talking about the ill-effects of smoking."
"We will also open a Smoking Clinic which would hold counselling sessions for smokers. We will also bring in a new machine which works on electromagnetic waves and helps a person to quit smoking," said a senior official.
The 'ban on smoking programme' will be launched on May 31, said a source.
KHALEEJ TIMES
179 workers stage protest over salaries
SHARJAH — May 10: As many as 179 labourers, belonging to a construction and road pavement company, staged a protest in front of the Sharjah Labour Department office yesterday.
They were demanding payment of salaries for the past five months along with leave and overtime compensation and end-of-service gratuity amount.
Many of the agitators also demanded change in sponsorship as per the labour law.
The workers met Ministry of Labour officials, who summoned the company's representatives. After discussions, the company's representatives produced a promissory note whereby the owners pledged to expedite the labourers' dues by May 15. They also promised to transfer sponsorship of those who desired so.
If the company fails to keep its promise, the matter will be referred to the court.
According to official sources from Sharjah Labour Department, the number of workers mentioned in the company file is 560 labourers, employees and engineers. However, only 179 of them have complained about delayed payments.
The ministry's office in Dubai has been apprised of the details of the case.
KHALEEJ TIMES
Two Indians die in road accident
SHARJAH — May 10: Two Indian nationals were killed and another injured in an accident yesterday on Sharjah-Al Mulaiha Road heading to Kalba, police sources said.
The victims were identified as 31-year-old Subhankar Ray from New Delhi and 45-year-old Ram Shankar from Gwalior. Both were employees of a Sharjah-based crusher company.
Ray worked as finance manager and Shankar was purchase manager in a Sharjah-based company.
The injured person was discharged from hospital yesterday.
The accident, involving a speeding Suzuki Vitara, took place around 7.30am. "The driver of the four-wheeler applied the brakes suddenly when he noticed a car ahead moving slowly. He lost control and the vehicle flipped over several times. The driver and the other victim died on the spot," the source said.
"When we received information, we rushed to the spot and shifted the injured man to Al Qasimi Hospital. The victims' bodies have been kept in the Al Qasimi Hospital morgue," the source added.
The families of the victims, the source said, have been informed of the tragedy. "We are in touch with the police officials and the bodies would be repatriated immediately after the legal documentation is over," the company source added.
A similar accident had occurred in the same area a week ago causing the death of two UAE nationals.
Meanwhile, police have urged motorists to respect traffic safety rules.
KHALEEJ TIMES
17 bridges, pedestrian crossings by next year
DUBAI — May 10: The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is constructing 17 new bridges and a number of pedestrian crossings controlled by traffic signals at an estimated cost of about Dh70 million, officials said yesterday, adding that the projects are expected to be completed by next year.
Engineer Maitha Mohammed Bin Adai, CEO of Traffic and Roads Agency, said the RTA is constructing seven pedestrian bridges.
"We will also set up a number of pedestrian crossings controlled by traffic signals and another 47 pedestrian lines will be completed alongside the Dubai Metro stations of which 12 will be within stations on Shaikh Zayed Road."
She added that a total of 84 pedestrian bridges will be constructed in Dubai and some of them will be equipped with air-conditioners and elevators.
Engineer Maitha said the RTA was making all possible efforts to take necessary action for pedestrians' safety, "especially in places where more accidents are reported such as Shaikh Zayed Road, one of the most dangerous streets for pedestrians".
"Seventeen bridges are expected to be completed next year. These include two bridges on Emirates Road, two on Shaikh Rashid, two on Damascus Street," she added.
KHALEEJ TIMES
Dubai - Plane ‘perv’ trial
Dubai - May 10: A businessman yesterday denied sexually molesting a woman who was sleeping next to him on his flight from Singapore to London and asked the court for a quick verdict, saying he was only in Dubai on transit. The 39-year old Kiwi executive is alleged to have inappropriately touched the 23-year-old British chef as they flew thousands of metres above the Indian Ocean.
The victim told Dubai Public Prosecution she was wearing shorts and shirt on the flight and fell asleep after being in the air for a couple of hours. When she awoke she said she found the accused touching her breasts and running his hand up her thigh. She also alleged that he had moved her hand so it was touching his groin.
“I stood up immediately, began to yell and he started apologising to me,” she said. The victim then ran down the aisle of the plane before falling to the ground crying at which point the air stewards rushed to help her. One of the stewards told the public prosecution: “He [the accused] approached her and asked her ‘What’s happened to you?’ I heard him saying that he felt sorry for what happened and that he would not repeat it.”
When the plane landed in Dubai for a stopover the woman went straight to the police station at the airport and filed a complaint. “He even asked me to give him another chance while I was going to the police station,” she alleged. The accused denied the charges, claiming the woman was drunk and that she had merely slumped against him while she slept. “We had been chatting for 15 minutes, she was drunk so she fell asleep, but she slumped against my shoulder and I was trying to move her,” he said. The trial continues.
SEVEN DAYS
Sort your safety out
Dubai - May 10: A failure to follow basic safety regulations has been responsible for the recent spate of fires in the emirate, according to the head of Dubai Civil Defence. Brigadier Rashid Thani Al Matroushi told 7DAYS that safety procedures are being ignored by many companies.
“We have stipulated safety instructions for every building and construction site in Dubai but companies are not following these rules,” he said. “The most important requirements are to have trained safety persons in the sites to deal with blazes until the Civil Defence reaches the fire, provide fire extinguishers and avoid storing construction materials at the site.”
Al Matroushi added: “Negligence causes a lot of accidents… and increases casualties.” Dubai has been struck by a series of fires since the beginning of this year, including this week’s blaze at a construction site on Palm Jumeirah and another at the under-construction Fortune Tower at the Marina in January. The cause of the fire at the Palm Golden Mile development on the trunk of the Palm is still being investigated, and the developers, IFA Hotels & Resorts, told 7DAYS that all their work sites adhere to the strictest safety standards. “We work very closely with professional contractors who ensure optimal safety measures are upheld at all our sites,” a spokesperson said.
Civil Defence officials told 7DAYS that the department conducts regular random checks to ensure safety procedures are being followed. If a developer is found guilty of violating regulations they can face a minimum dhs5,000 fine and closure of the site. A new law increasing the minimum fine is currently under consideration. Al Matroushi’s comments were echoed by a civil engineer, who has worked on numerous construction projects across Dubai. The Australian, who asked not to be named, said: “The reason there are so many fires on building sites in Dubai is simply down to lack of application of safety procedures.”
Toby Hayward, secretary for the Middle East branch of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, agreed: “What we are seeing at the moment is a direct result of lax managerial commitment and poor implementation… of correct practices.”
SEVEN DAYS
Al Ain Wildlife Park targets investors
AL AIN — May 10: Extensive efforts are currently under way to transform the Al Ain Zoo into Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort by increasing the number of inmates and exhibits and improving facilities to match world standards. The zoo is located in the heart of Al Ain, the garden city of the UAE.
The project plan, which offers a unique opportunity to prospective investors, is on display in the first edition of Cityscape Abu Dhabi, which opened in the capital on Tuesday.
Majid Al Mansouri, managing director of the Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort, said as the UAE continues its dynamic transformation into a booming economic and tourism hub, a mixed-use development plan has been initiated to create a world class, sustainable leisure and learning destination that holds promise for the astute investor or developer.
He said, "Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort is the beneficiary of a rare, clear vision of how the environment, people and wildlife could co-exist in a sustainable and viable manner. It is based on the ideas of conservation and education, what we term 'Leisure, Learning, and Living'."
One of the unique features of the project is that investors and residents will directly contribute to and be part of wildlife conservation efforts and community development in UAE.
The residential complex within the park will provide residents and visitors an entirely new way of living in which wildlife and ecology would co-exist with sustainable practices.
The various types of accommodations will provide visitors a choice ranging from family-oriented hotel to luxurious five-star resort, all with convenient access to excellent shopping facilities and an oasis theme water park.
The shopping area will include multi-level retail area, besides outdoor shopping promenades, a shopping mall, cafes, restaurants and special 'dining with a view' opportunities.
The main zoo and its exhibits along with themed desert safaris will cater to people of all ages and nationalities to gain a deeper understanding of desert environments from around the world and the wildlife that inhabit them. "We are building an immensely valuable resource for generations to come," Al Mansouri said.
The zoo is filled with exciting displays of animals featuring exhibit zones of the world's great ocean-edge deserts.
The wildlife park is set amidst the splendour of a rugged landscape with an amazing and rich variety of flora, botanical gardens, native birds and butterflies.
The residential area will present a unique type of experience in a desert setting with architectural styles reflecting contemporary Arabia and Africa. It will include a green zone with parks, community club and a health club.
For visitors fond of style, there will be a 5-star Oasis Hotel that would pamper guests with superb service, accommodations in suites and private villas, spa and health club, fine restaurants, cafes and exclusive shopping. For the adventurous sort, themed African Thatched Resort with private cottages would offer central 'watering hole', a swimming pool and an opportunity to observe animals under the ranger's supervision.
KHALEEJ TIMES