Dear Sir,
The traffic mayhem on Qatar’s roads is a constant concern. And there seems to be no early end in sight for this. The number of man-hours lost in traffic jams is just criminal.
As a concerned expatriate, here are a few of my suggestions to reduce traffic congestion:
*On my way from New Salata to my office in West Bay at around 6am every day, I come across many heavy vehicles on the road. Their presence slows down the traffic flow significantly during the rush hour. The movement of heavy vehicles should be restricted to late evening hours.
*School buses, company vehicles transporting workers to sites and cars form the bulk of the morning traffic. While the office and school times cannot be changed all of a sudden, work at various sites and various secondary utility services could start at least 45 minutes later than now. This might reduce the number of vehicles in the morning rush hour.
*Shortage of parking lots adds to the traffic problem. It is necessary to dedicate sufficient open space for parking around each establishment and office buildings in Doha.
JBM
(Full name and address supplied)
Give support to Jayalalithaa
Dear Sir,
The Bangalore court ruling against former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa is a challenge to all regional parties in her state. In fact, the verdict should be seen as not just against a politician but as against the entire Tamil community or even against the whole of south India.
The court case against Jayalalithaa is almost two decades old and has lost its standing as it has dragged on and on. It is a political gimmick and the judiciary has been misused. The court must have taken into consideration that the convict is a woman and an established political leader before issuing its verdict.
Did any chief minister in India take just Rs1 as his/her monthly salary? Jayalalithaa did. Did any chief minister introduce a mid-day meal scheme which is commended by the UN and other international agencies as it attracts children from very poor families to attend schools. She did.
Did any chief minister introduce a medicine allotment scheme for the poor? She did.
All these development programmes will suffer if Jayalalithaa stays in jail. The higher courts in India should consider these facts and release her forthwith.
Files on multibillion dollar scams gather dust in New Delhi while the poor Tamil woman chief minister is sent to jail over a long-delayed case. It is a shame! What action has been taken by Indian authorities in grain, 2G, coal scams so far? There seems to be a plot to weaken regional parties in Tamil Nadu.
All Indians should applaud women achievers like Jayalalithaa who challenge male chauvinism in society. I urge all Indians cutting across linguistic and party lines to support Jayalalithaa.
Mohamed S
(e-mail address supplied)
