Regulations must be followed in construction industry
Buildings have always been maintained, in order to leave a good impression for the public (‘Contractors flouting fire safety norms’, Gulf News, April 28). In the case of a building’s facade or cladding, the materials should always be non-flammable or fire resistant.
Any deviation to these regulations can cause severe damage to the building in major fire accidents. Substandard materials used would give more profits to the contractor and the owner, but at the expense of the lives of innocent people who live in such buildings.
The authorities could inspect all old buildings to certify whether the cladding materials used are flammable or not. Wherever flammable and poor quality cladding materials are used, these should be removed and replaced immediately. This may save a tragedy from happening or help avoid adverse situations for the people who live there.
Always insist on the use of high quality materials that are fire-proof or fire-resistant, in line with the country’s fire safety standards. These safety measures should be strictly followed by all contractors. Anyone found not complying with the safety codes should be punished.
From Mr M. K. Gunaseelan
Abu Dhabi
Guns are a responsibility
It’s time for people to be responsible (‘US child shoots mother dead’, Gulf News, April 29). None of my guns ever accidentally shot anyone and I make sure they are secured, prior to having children around them. If you teach children to respect firearms, it’s not a problem. Unfortunately for this woman, her child was too young and the mother did not take the proper precautions and wound up paying the ultimate price. My guns have saved my life and my family’s lives on more than one occasion, both in the line of duty and in civilian life in the US. Although, thankfully, I have never needed to shoot others to survive during those times. I’d rather not be a victim.
From Mr Matt Kraemer
Ohio, US
Facebook comment
Why do people fall for it?
The problem is not only that we have these phone scammers, but that we also seem to fall for these ploys (‘21 phone scam suspects arrested in Sharjah’, Gulf News, April 29). Why do we think that sending a random caller Dh5,000 would result in us winning Dh200,000? If people were more aware of these risks, these con artists would be out of business.
From Mr Hamad Al Moussalli
Dubai
Facebook comment
Report scammers
I receive a lot of calls from scammers, saying that I have won a prize. After I tell them that I have noted down their number and I would report them to the authorities, they usually hang up the phone. Thank you Sharjah Police, for arresting them.
From Ms Maribeth Delacruz Rendon
UAE
Facebook comment
Pretending to be companies
Good job, Sharjah Police! I had calls telling me that I had won millions from a phone company. I then complained to the phone company and they blocked the number for me.
From Ms Geetha Ravindranath
Sharjah
Facebook comment
New scammers everyday
These days, there is a new scam doing the rounds, for a country club membership. They ask you to fill a form and then, you receive a call stating that you have won a holiday package abroad. They call you for an orientation session and insist that you come along with your spouse. After the meeting, they try to charge you for a full year’s membership at their club. Once it’s done, they promise to give the vouchers a holiday package, which never come. I hope the authorities take action against this as well.
From Mr Omar A. Khan
Dubai
Facebook comment
Rude callers
I remember getting a call like this and I told them that I would inform the authorities. The caller then said something impolite and ended the call. I got irritated with his response and tried calling them back on a number they had provided. I tried various times, but no one picked up the call. This happened a year ago. I don’t get these calls much nowadays.
From Mr Shaheen Haneefa
UAE
Facebook comment
How to stop them?
This is very good. I appreciate Sharjah Police for the wonderful job. These scammers should be severely punished so that they won’t call again.
From Mr Khalil Khalid Chadhar
UAE
Facebook comment
Stop future scammers
Great job by the Sharjah Police. I agree that the culprits should get tough punishment, so that people will think twice before conducting these types of fraudulent activities.
From Mr Shokat Khan
UAE
Facebook comment
Another type of fraud
I also urge the authorities to please take strict action against fake job recruiters. They call candidates to tell them about attractive offers and then charge money by saying that it’s a returnable security deposit. After a long wait, they take a 50 per cent cut as a fee and refuse to give money back. This is just another kind of scam.
From Mr Mohammad Zubair
UAE
Facebook comment
Verbally abusing victims
I’m so proud of the UAE authorities for the work they do. These scammers do not just steal people’s money, they also abuse them over the phone. They swear at them and harass innocent people.
From Mr Mohammad Zubair Khan
Dubai
Facebook comment
Kerala turning dry
As the poet T.S. Eliot said: “April is the cruellest month.” The ever soaring mercury level has dried up many a well in India. People are running around for water. The temperature in Palakkad, India, has risen to unprecedented heights to touch 41.9 degrees Celsius, the highest in the state since 1987. People are chasing tanker trucks to collect water. At the same time, soft drink manufacturing corporations are merrily guzzling underground water and depleting the water table. Summer heat has been so intense this year that the Kerala state government has issued an advisory against working in the open between 11am and 3pm. The India Meteorological Department unit in Thiruvananthapuram has even issued a heat wave warning. The sudden climatic change makes one think that the Indian state of Kerala, the most green state, is going to be a desert soon.
From Mr Sunny Joseph Mala
Kerala, India
The risks of nuclear energy
Nuclear energy has been touted as the most viable solution to future energy requirements of the developed world, since the technology was implemented during the early 1950s. However the Chernobyl, Ukraine disaster in 1986 killed many people and left thousands with irrevocable health conditions. This changed that perception. The tragedy served as an eye opener for the whole world and for countries who were contemplating nuclear plants for their energy needs.
It is true that nuclear sources of energy come with a few benefits, including the low usage of geographical space that is needed set up facilities, zero carbon emissions and being free from dependency on weather conditions.
Rogue nations can develop nuclear reactors under the pretext of catering to civilian needs, yet carry on the undetected creation of nuclear weapons with military and expansionist ambitions. A nuclear installation is a ticking time bomb and an eventuality. No amount of damage control measures would be sufficient in bringing back normalcy because of the residual effects of radiation. Such a situation would not only impact the present generation, but would also take a toll on future generations. The conventional sources of energy may appear outdated or insufficient to meet the needs of the modern world, but an alternative must not come at the expense of our delicate environment and order of Nature.
From Mr Ismail Mohammad
Dubai
The consequences are severe
There are few advantages of nuclear energy when compared to the many disadvantages, like radioactive waste, which have still not been resolved. The waste of nuclear energy is dangerous by environmental standards. Despite so many safety measures, accidents cannot be averted.
Power plants and nuclear waste may be preferred targets for terrorists to destroy a country and population, as well. In a nutshell, the usage of nuclear energy is restricted and the disadvantages, with regards to health hazards, environmental risks and other side effects, can’t be ignored. Recent leakages of power plants in advanced countries like Japan, are also creating negative thoughts regarding the use of this technology.
From Mr K. Ragavan
Bengaluru, India
Increasing safety standards
The world witnessed the worst nuclear tragedy in Chernobyl, which killed thousands of people, with more than seven million people affected. Many were displaced from their homes. There are thousands of people suffering from cancer and related diseases and still, thousands of them are unaccounted for, and unable to be traced by international agencies.
As we recount the Chernobyl disaster, all countries that have nuclear plants should strengthen their global safety standards, so that incidents like Chernobyl or Fukushima, Japan, will not happen in the future, anywhere in the world. Best practices of high standards to protect nuclear plants should be formulated.
Let us hope the ongoing nuclear plants around the world will be well protected and let modern science and inventions be a blessing to humankind rather than a curse.
From Mr Eappen Elias
Dubai
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