Dear Sir,
I am quite surprised at the slow pace of things in Qatar. I arrived here in May this year and am still waiting for my residence permit (RP). It took me so long to get the RP formalities completed and finally I finished my fingerprinting work just a few days ago.
I still draw my salary by cash from the company accountant as I’m unable to open a bank account without my RP. I also face difficulties in sending money back home and visiting various offices (part of my job as I’m into sales and marketing) as I don’t have my RP yet.
Another problem I face is in getting a driving licence. I joined a reputed driving school as I thought it would speed up the process. After passing a lot of hurdles in the documentation process (as I don’t have an RP yet, I had to get special approval after submitting my visa copy), I enrolled for the shortest course available, in July.
A licence is a must for my job as it involves a lot of commuting. The entire application process has been made so complicated that it takes more than three to four months for a person to get a licence.
One needs to wait for three to four weeks to get a place in the training sessions at the driving school. After completing the classes, one has to appear for the first phase of the test : learners/theory exam. I passed it in the first attempt and I expected to have my licence within a few weeks. I was wrong.
The date for my practical test was one month after. Adding to the delay, the practical test itself is divided into two phases: parking and the road test.
After clearing the first phase the other day, I was asked to appear for my road test some time next month.
In most other countries, all these three phases of the driving test are done in a day or two at the most.
MM
(Full name and e-mail address supplied)
Commendable report
Dear Sir,
The report “Demand grows for salary hike of Indian teachers” (Gulf Times, September 25) is greatly appreciated. Though the schools often raise their fees, there is seldom any corresponding hike in the salary of the employees in Indian schools. Reports like these give them hope. Points raised in the report are thought-provoking indeed.
Kudos to the reporter and the paper.
RC
(Full name and address supplied)
Limited space for car parking
Dear Sir,
A large number of health-conscious people visit the Airport Park every day for jogging or walking.
Many families with children also visit the park to spend their evenings in the open. But it has very limited space for parking cars. Fines are imposed on many motorists for wrong parking every day there.
There is a simple way to solve the parking problem. As the airport services have been shifted to the new Hamad International Airport, the car parking at the old airport is practically empty. Why not allot some space there for the park visitors?
KSP
(Full name and address supplied)