Community Reports
Fine ambulance chasers!
Readers write to Gulf News about issues affecting them and their community
I was travelling towards Dubai from Abu Dhabi on Shaikh Zayed Road, almost near the World Trade Centre when I noticed an ambulance trying to make way through the heavy traffic. Its driver was finally able to get to the emergency lane and was trying to gain speed to reach its destination. I was alarmed to notice that two bikers, one a delivery guy and another a normal rider were trying to follow it bumper to bumper.
This is an extremely dangerous driving habit and those found using emergency lanes and following speeding ambulances should be reprimanded and heavily fined. They are not thinking of the danger when or if the ambulance driver has to suddenly apply the brakes!
Let us think about road safety at all times. It is our responsibility to remain safe.
From Mr Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi
Dt 28 January 2017
To read it in original, please visit GULF NEWS online
Fill it, Dig it, Forget it! – Kadugodi Whitefield Road that WORKS
In an year how many times this small stretch of road at Kadugodi Whitefiled has been filled, digged again and then left like that! Pathetic! Even the tractor guys are finding it difficult to drive. So you can imagine how difficult it is for cars and two wheelers. The way the work for pipeline is being carried out at one point here, I feel, very soon, they will find oil here! No one can drive. Not to forget the speed at which the two wheelers ride on these roads. So, imagine the plight of those elderly or children who walk through this stretch to the Volvo Bus stand or Whitefield Railway station. Authorities – please open your eyes and do a neat job, once and for all.
Lower the height of signboards – Letters to the editor – The National Dt 22 June 2015T
Lower the height of signboards – Letters to the editor – The National Dt 22 June 2015
The new Onwani system will make it easier for people to access every location in Abu Dhabi. What we have to do now is get used to this change.
However, I would like to point out that the signboards with the building numbers and QR codes have been placed too high. This makes it difficult for short people or those of average height to access them to scan the QR codes.
Lowering the height of these boards will enable everyone to make use of the QR facility.
Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi
To read it in original, visit The National online
Strict safety norms should be enforced
Strict safety norms should be enforced
Reader is concerned about workers ignoring safety measures when at construction sites.
Abu Dhabi
World Day for Safety and Health at Work is being celebrated tomorrow, April 28, and our highest priority should be oriented towards the principle of prevention of danger.
A look at some of the maintenance activities being carried out by the staff of some companies that work on the installation of advertisement stickers on high rise buildings within the capital made me write about this important safety issue. They use the suspended scaffolding to paste these stickers on the windows. However, observing them at close quarters I noticed that most of them were not wearing appropriate safety gear.
My fear aggravated when I noticed that a group of construction workers who were working on seven-storey building were carrying out their jobs without wearing any safety gear. This was alarming and there was no way I could reach out to them and inform them to adhere to safety measures.
These two observations highlight the need for stricter enforcement of safety norms. We do note that companies have strict safety guidelines in place for the welfare of their workforce. However, there is always an exception. Some companies even hire part-time workers, and it appears that safety is not a matter of priority for them and precautionary measures are sidelined. This is dangerous as even a minor miss may end up in loss of life or permanent injury to the worker involved.
Through this report, I request the concerned authorities to consider this matter and enforce stricter rules for workers who engage in jobs at high altitudes. The need for a standard acknowledgement and acceptance to conform to safety standards is essential when permits for such jobs to be carried out are issued.
Let ‘Safety First’ be on everyone’s mind at all time. Keep reminding each other and remembering with a strong inner sense the three key notes: ‘Safety for me, for you and for everyone’ as a mantra to achieve better safety results.
— The reader is an operations manager based in Abu Dhabi.
Be a community reporter. Tell us what is happening in your community. Send us your videos and pictures at readers@gulfnews.com
Safety rules are being breached
Safety rules are being breached
I have seen workers in harnesses installing billboards or putting stickers on high-rises. But when I looked closely, I noticed that most of them did not have adequate safety gear. This has happened on more than two occasions.
Once, I was frightened for a group of men who were working on a seven-storey building without any protective gear whatsoever. I am sure that these are not stray cases. People will continue to flout the safety rules if such lapses are not reported.
At the same time, strict enforcement of rules is necessary.
It’s mostly smaller companies that ignore the rules as they engage contract or part-time workers.
They need to be monitored all the time.
Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi
To read it in original, please visit The National online.
Petrol station employees need shaded areas – The National Dt. 20 August 2014
Petrol station employees need shaded areas
Driving between Abu Dhabi and Dubai regularly, I have noticed that many petrol stations lack shade in the areas where diesel and special fuels are served. This is a cause for concern as the staff have to work all day under the open sky. I am sure their problems do not end at night, or even during the winter.
I request the fuel company to consider installing shades over all serving points at every fuel station.
Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi
The National, Dt. 20 August 2014
Windows in high-rise buildings need to be properly secured – Gulf News Dt. 14 August 2014
When parking my car at a multi-level car park in Abu Dhabi, I heard the sound of two sets of children playing nearby. One was from the ground level where a group of children were playing football. Searching for the other set, my eyes reached the top floor of a highrise building. I was shocked to see that two windows of an apartment were left open and a set of children were stretching themselves out and trying some tricks.
It was indeed shocking for me! They had clearly seen me standing below and observing them for a long time. As if one group of children seemed to have gotten the message, suddenly one of the windows shut and my focus was now on the other one, where the remaining children continued their activities.
I didn’t wait any longer and went ahead and alerted the watchman of the building. He told me that he was helpless, as the children never listened to him.
I was fearing three different types of dangers. First, the window panels of such buildings are mostly easily accessible. What happens, if the children or even if it is adults, slip and fall?
Second was the danger of the items kept on the window slab. What happens, if one of the item falls down through the open window and someone happens to be passing by or standing below at that crucial moment?
Third and not of least importance is the mischievous act that many residents have had to experience. Some children throw water bottles or cans or even plastic bags filled with water at pedestrians who are passing by the building. A few days ago, my wife and I escaped such an act by a whisker!
It doesn’t end there, these windows are used many a times by residents to dry their laundry. The windows are left partially open and the clothes act as an eyesore to a beautiful city image.
Authorities in the capital have asked for a mandatory lock for windows on highrise buildings. I request authorities and building owners to make a quick check and make sure that it is installed wherever it is not.
In addition, reputed organisations should cross check that the apartments where the employees are living have all the required safety equipment installed.
Let us all work together to put an effort to make safety a core value that can never be ignored even for a moment. Let no accidents, or even death, occur due to ignorance or carelessness.
The reader is a technical officer based in Abu Dhabi.
Be a community reporter. Tell us what is happening in your community. Send us your videos and pictures at readers@gulfnews.com
Don’t get killed while driving – Gulf News – 3 August 2014
Don’t get killed while driving
Authorities need to step up to educate drivers on road safety and the importance of patience on the road.
• By Ramesh Menon
• Gulf News Published: 13:23 August 2, 2014
The other day, as I was dropping my son to the airport amidst the afternoon traffic, we witnessed a young man riding a sports bike at a furious pace, cutting across traffic lanes. Suddenly, the car ahead of him stopped, and the young man was left with no option than to hit the car. We watched as he toppled at least three times above and on top of the car ahead and fell down. There he lay motionless and we were speechless.
Turns out, there was an accident that happened further down the road and that was the reason for the traffic and a police patrol was already on their way to assist.
The accident that we witnessed will remain in my memory for a very long time, as it felt so unreal, like it was a movie.
Furthermore, for me as a person, bikes on UAE roads are always scary as they are not meant to be safe while driven on these roads.
Memories of two incidents that happened a few years ago keep on coming to my mind and is the reason for my aggressive campaigning for road safety.
First is the death of my brother-in-law in a bike accident in 2001 by a tractor driver in Bengaluru, India.
Second is more serious as it involved a whole family, including my mathematics teacher from school. They died as their car was hit by a speeding car and causing the entire family to burn to death as they travelled from Abu Dhabi to Dubai.
While the fate of the young man involved in the accident that happened the other day is not known to me, I definitely know that it was an incident that could easily have been avoided.
There is a strong need for patience and this needs to be educated to our young drivers by the authorities. Especially bike riders and those who have just got their driving license.
You don’t put a full stop to your life in thsi manner. Safety is of utmost importance, therefore we should be alert and cautious at all times.
To read it in original, please visit Gulf News online.
Community reporter passes away after battle with cancer
Community reporter passes away after battle with cancer
P. C. Ummer, a regular contributor to the Community Report section, dies at 56.
By Ramesh Menon Gulf News Reader and Community Reporter
Published: 15:00 July 13, 2014
Abdul Hamid Ahmad, Editor-in-Chief of Gulf News met with Gulf News reader P.C Ummer and his two sons Mohamed and Sameer Mohamed at the Gulf News today.
P.C. Ummer, an active participant of social and cultural activities, award-winning Gulf News community reporter and family man, died yesterday in Abu Dhabi on July 13, 2014, at the age of 56. He is survived by his wife and two sons.
He was an alumni of Christ College Irinjalakuda. During our college days we were involved in literary and cultural activities, as well as student welfare issues. After graduation, we didn’t know whether our paths would meet again.
Moving to Abu Dhabi in the late 1980s, I regularly contributed to community issues through letters and reports in Gulf New. As I followed the news with keen interest, I noticed a familiar name appearing in the same sections.
Recognising the person, I obtained his address from Gulf News and contacted him. Coincidentally, he, too, was residing in Abu Dhabi.
With great happiness I found that it was none other than my college mate, whom I thought I would never meet again.
He covered a lot of community issues in his work with Gulf News, just as I did. Many of his suggestions were eye openers to the authorities to rectify issues identified.
A while ago he confided in me about being diagnosed with cancer. A man of strong will and like any other cancer patient, he did not discuss much about it after that.
Ummer kept himself cheerful and was an active participant in activities of the India Social and Cultural Centre and other community associations in the Capital.
Last week, I got to know that he was in intensive care struggling for his life. He remained in a critical condition for almost a week. Being a person who doesn’t give up easily, his family and friends kept hope that he would recover. However, that was not to be.
One more victim of cancer, who had to suddenly put a full stop to his life and leave with unfinished words and deeds for the family and society they belong to.
It once again brings a pressing issue to the fore. Treatment for cancer is very expensive and it is high time authorities in all countries came out with more subsidised treatments for cancer patients. May his soul rest in peace.
Editor’s Note: Gulf News expresses its deepest condolences at the passing away of P.C.Ummer. An active community reporter and voice of the people, he helped raise many important issues to the fore. He won community report awards over the years for his work.
The most recent example was his report, ‘Abu Dhabi bus stops falling apart’, that was published on April 21, 2013. He raised the issue of ignored bus stops and lack of air-conditioned shelters for passengers in the Markaziya area in Khalidiya, Abu Dhabi. Four months later, new bus shelters had been constructed in the area.
Our prayers are with his family and friends in this hour of need.
A bench with no place to sit – Khaleej Times – Dt. 24 March 2014
I believe and propagate through Passionate Photographers group on Facebook that every photo clicked is history. There will be a message or a story behind it. Some told, some untold. The above just an example of how some anti-social elements can damage public property that can be a danger to children and elderly. It is not an image wish to be seen around in a beautiful city. Hope, the authorities will repair and replace it soon as necessary requests have been made to highlight it to them.
Part of a Park, Ride and Click project. A Page 3 listing for an HSE effort. Inspiring.
Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi
ClicksandWrites 
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