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Mosquito menace in parts of Dubai
PESTS are both a major inconvenience as well as public health concern for the civic authorities.
While bed bugs are a serious and widespread problem in the shared accommodations of the central business districts in Deira and Bur Dubai, mosquitoes, it seems, are turning out to be a real nightmare in at least a section of new Dubai. A caller complained to the Khaleej Times Hotline that mosquito population in the Greens, near Jebel Ali, is exploding and authorities should do something about it.
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ACCORDING to an official at Dubai Municipality's pest control section, the responsibility of pest control inside private compounds or gated communities lies with the real estate company managing it. “We work in public places and upon request in residential units occupied by nationals,” the official said.
He noted that the civic body has approved quality pest control companies and trained and qualified staff at these firms as a service to and benefit for all Dubai residents.
Live insects found in rice crispies
A CALLER told the Khaleej Times Hotline that a box of rice crispies bought from a well-known chain of supermarkets in Nasser Square contained live insects. The family has been buying the same brand of rice crispies for quite some time now and it was unlikely that the problem was manufacture or processing-related, the lady explained.
The civic body was informed of the case and the caller was assured that inspectors from the concerned department would be at her residence shortly to take away the box of crispies for further investigation. It has been three days and the inspectors are yet to collect their sample, which the family had no option but to dispatch.
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AN OFFICIAL at the Food Control Section explained that if the call had been made to the Emergency Office of Dubai Municipality on 04-2232323, the case would have been directed to the right people in his department. He said it was not the first such case and the department handles similar complaints all the time. “The problem in such cases usually is with the way a product was stored in the outlet. A puncture in the packaging or the exposure of the contents to high temperature or moisture can cause such problems,” he explained.
According to the official, it is usually very difficult to verify claims of insects in packaged food because consumers usually find out about the problem only after they have opened the pack. He noted that usually outlets are issued warning notices or slapped with a fine for such cases, but consumers on their own agree to accept a free exchange offer to settle the matter.
“Only when such a case ends up in food poisoning does it become a serious matter,” he explained.
Factories causing air pollution in Ajman area
SALIM Al Hamadi, a UAE national, complained about the air pollution in Al Mushairif district in Ajman caused by the factories located close to the residential areas.
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SAIF Salim Al Shamsi, Deputy Director of Ajman Municipality, said: “The municipality has maintained equipment to monitor the air pollution in all parts of the emirate. In Al Mushairif there is a big one, and its latest reading shows that there is no air pollution detected in the area, but this is not an excuse that stops us from taking measures to inspect the factories that are allegedly violating the environmental regulations set by the civic body.”
He promised to send the environment inspectors to check the areas and inspect the factories located there to ensure that they are abiding by the regulations.
Served her sentence but still in jail
RUPA Kumari complained to Khaleej Times Hotline that she was sentenced to one year in prison on the charges of a theft. She said that she had served her jail term, which ended in 1998, but she is still languishing in prison.
“Nobody is helping me,” she said, disclosing that she has spent the last two years and nearly eight months in jail. She claimed that her sponsor is not ready to deport her to Sri Lanka. “He is asking me to pay Dh80,000. Only then, he told me, he will let me go back to my home country,” she said.
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MAJOR Abdul Kareem from Dubai Central Jail said that the Punitive and Corrective department is an executive authority. “Anybody who completes his/her jail term is released automatically, except in the cases when the prisoner has another court case filed against him/her.” In the case of Rupa, he explained that she is required to pay an amount of Dh80,000 to her employer and she will not be released until she does so.
Salary not paid for seven months
AN ABU Dhabi based complainant said he did not get his salary for seven months from his previous employer. By end of 2005, he said he made a formal complaint with the Ministry of Labour. “I have observed that the case is dragging on in the ministry also. So I am requesting your help,” said the complainant when he called Khaleej Times Hotline. He requested urgent solution to his problem as he is leaving the UAE and has little time to get his dues.
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KHALEEJ TIMES spoke to an official in the Personnel Department of the company, Mousa Industrial Co (Minco). He said the ex-employee had left the job without notification. “Since he left without informing us, we did not give the salary,” he said, adding that the matter is cleared in the courts.
A legal expert said the employee should have tried to solve the matter with the company amicably. But as this was not the case, the Disputes Department at the Ministry of Labour is the only authority that is responsible for settlement of such dispute. The department will try, as is the case with all disputes, to reach an amicable settlement. If their efforts failed, then the case will be referred to court. As for the delay, an official source at the labour ministry said there were too many cases that were being handled by the department and courts. There are also some cases in which the parties keep the issue dragging to win time, he said.
Underpasses or sleeping areas
HOSSAMNASR lives in Abu Dhabi. He said that many labourers sleep in one of the underpasses in the capital. “They take off shoes and the place is very stinky,” he said, adding that it is also difficult for women to pass through the underpass.
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KHALEEJ TIMES investigations showed that the underpasses are run by the Abu Dhabi Municipality. As some matters, such as this, relate to security, the guards of Abu Dhabi Police are involved. The department's patrols are deployed every day to inspect the tunnels and other public utilities to ensure safety and security of their users.
The patrols prepare routine reports and submit them to the municipality, which in turn, handles the parts that relate to it such as cleaning and other violations related to hygiene and the municipality's areas of specialisation.
The authorities ban any sort of activity in the underpasses. Therefore, no one is allowed to sit, sleep or use the facility for any other purpose such as kids playing etc.
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