Month: May 2010
ചെറുമകന്റെ ടീ വി ഭ്രാന്തിനു മുത്തച്ഛന്റെ പക്ഷി ചികിത്സ
ചെറുമകന്റെ ടീ വി ഭ്രാന്തിനു മുത്തച്ഛന്റെ പക്ഷി ചികിത്സ
Short Take – GULF TODAY – Dt. 29.05.2010 – Life’s challenges
Short Take – GULF TODAY – Dt. 29.05.2010 – Life’s challenges
My Letters – GULF NEWS – Dt. 28.0.50.2010 – Pray for the departed
My Letters – GULF NEWS – Dt. 28.0.50.2010 – Pray for the departed
Fine reporting on tragic event – My Letters – THE NATIONAL – Dt. 26.05.2010
My Letters – THE NATIONAL – Dt. 26.05.2010 – Fine reporting on tragic event
Air India confirms 158 dead in crash – My Letters – THE NATIONAL – Dt 23.05.2010
My Letters – THE NATIONAL – Dt 23.05.2010 – Air India confirms 158 dead in crash
Air India confirms 158 dead in crash
Praveen Menon and Leah Oatway
Last Updated: May 22. 2010 11:30PM UAE / May 22. 2010 7:30PM GMT
Civilians look on as Indian firefighters and rescue personnel gather around the site of an Air India plane that crashed in Mangalore, in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, Saturday, May 22, 2010. AP Photo
An Air India Express passenger plane from Dubai crashed outside the Mangalore airport in southern India today, killing 158 people when it burst into flames after overshooting a table-top runway and plunging into forest below.
There were only eight survivors after the Boeing 737-800 appeared to have skidded off the runway in rain in Karnataka state, Air India director Anup Srivastava said.
It is believed 146 bodies had been recovered.
“We had no hope to survive, but we survived,” Pradeep, a survivor who is an Indian technician working in Dubai, told local television.
“The plane broke into two and we jumped off the plane. As soon as the plane landed, within seconds this happened.”
Investigators in India say the preliminary findings show the aircraft touched down about 2,000 feet (610 metres) too late on the 8,000-foot runway. But experts said that type of aircraft still had plenty of room to stop safely.
The national carrier of India had 163 passengers, seven crew members and four infants. As many as 19 of the passengers were children.
The flight took off from Dubai Airport Terminal 2 at around 1am this morning and was expected to land at the newly constructed Mangalore Airport.
The entire Kenjar village has turned into a crash site as rescue operators search through the wreckage for possible survivors.
The black box has been recovered from the flight.
“The black box of the aircraft has been recovered and the mandatory court of inquiry ordered by the Director General of Civil Aviation,” WAM news agency reported from India.
The Indian consulate in Dubai confirmed that they have been flooded with calls since morning as many Indians living in the UAE were on the flight.
According to Mr Pathak, the airline has been contacted by many passengers’ relatives in Dubai and is considering chartering a flight to Mangalore for relatives.
A hotline number has been set up at Terminal 2 airport and another city control room will soon be functional at the Air India office in Dubai.
Delhi: 011-25656196, 25603101
Mangalore: 0824-2220422, 2010167
Dubai: 00971-4-2165828, 00971-4-2165829
Air India Express operates flights out of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Sharjah International Airports.
Flight IX 812 operates seven days a week from Dubai International Airport Terminal II to Mangalore Airport at 115 am with a flight duration of 3 hours, 45 minutes. The fare for a flight next Friday May 28 on the Boeing 737-800 is dh750.
The company also operates five flights per week from Abu Dhabi to Mangalore
My comments as follows:
I join amongst many expatriate passengers who has no other alternate option other than to use limited operational facilities of Air India Express to travel to various smaller airports in India. The fear associated always with flying in it, especially during the landing is always talked up on. God forbidden, there were no tragedy involved, but it was not the case this morning. I was one amongst the many with profound grief and sadness, who gathered for a condolence meeting held at the ISCC Abu Dhabi to pray for the departed souls. Many stories were told touching our emotions about lost friends and family, known and unknown. May be it is due a technical error or human error, or some other unknown reason. Finally, it is a national loss and a major personal loss to those who got affected in it. Let us all, pray to god, calamities of this sort never repeats due to man made errors, as fate and destiny never give choices to us to escape from the natural disasters of unknown kind.
Ramesh Menon
Abu Dhabi.
To read it in original, please visit, THE NATIONAL online
Short Take – Gulf Today – Dt. 22.05.2010 – Power of Team Work
Short Take – Gulf Today – Dt. 22.05.2010 – Power of Team Work
Akkare Ninnu – Vol. 7 Dt. 18.05.2010 – an exclusive NRI page written for www irinjalakudalive dot com
Akkare Ninnu – Vol. 7 Dt. 18.05.2010 – an exclusive NRI page written for www irinjalakudalive dot com
Short Take – Gulf Today – Dt. 15.05.2010 – Highway Mechanic
Short Take – Gulf Today – Dt. 15.05.2010 – Highway Mechanic
To read Short Take exclusively written for Gulf Today, please click here.
Speak your mind – GULF NEWS – Be Heard – Dt. 14.05.2010 – Fixing the problems in schools
Speak your mind – GULF NEWS – Be Heard – Dt. 14.05.2010 – Fixing the problems in schools
country’s future lies with the youth and their development
By Ramesh Menon, Gulf News reader Published: 19:38 May 13, 2010
The talk of the town is school transportation. Should school buses have tinted windows or curtains? Also, once children reach school, what should we do to prevent abuse — from other students and teachers? A tough task indeed.
Let’s think of some viable options that are safe and harmonious.
There should be women drivers for school buses that transport girls. They will be more cautious drivers and students will be transported to and from school without being leered at. I am not generalising that all drivers are bad, but this is an option that could be taken into consideration.
It seems that putting cameras in classrooms will have to wait. At present, schools are hard-pressed to make ends meet and this isn’t a feasible option under the present economic scenario.
Therefore, to prevent children being bullied by other students or teachers, I would suggest:
• A committee should be formed for each school, comprising school management, teachers and parents. On a monthly basis, they should meet to assess the situation. Sealed complaints and suggestion boxes should be kept in schools, to be opened only by committee members.
• A higher committee comprising members from this team and from the school governing body, the Ministry of Education and police (a counselling or special team) should be formed. The school-level lower committee should submit a monthly report of any incidents.
• A daily or weekly duty officer should be appointed from among the lower committee with a contact number. Urgent matters should be handled immediately by the duty officer, after properly logging it and informing the committee. They should then try to resolve it amicably.
• If there are any serious cases, they should immediately call for an emergency meeting with the members of the higher-level committee and then analyse it thoroughly. At this time, they should take strict disciplinary action against both the student and his or her parents, who are equally responsible.
• Additionally, I suggest that the authorities consider special concessions to schools, for daily operating items. This will naturally bring down the operating costs for the schools and allow them to enhance their existing facilities or reduce school fees.
A country’s future lies with the youth and their development and these efforts will definitely bear fruit in the long run.
I submit this suggestion to the Ministry of Education through Gulf News’ column. Are there any like-minded readers out there?
— The writer is an Abu Dhabi-based technical officer and Gulf News reader
To read it in original, please visit GULF NEWS online.
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