Pathetic streets in Industrial Area
Dear Sir,
Streets in the Industrial Area are in a pathetic state. The accompanying picture (below) of a waterlogged street in the Industrial Area has been clicked five days after the recent rain. And there are many streets like this all over the Industrial area. Even without rains, the roads are in tatters.
It’s unbelievable that this part belongs to the same city where so much progress has been made. Such good care is taken to beautify Doha. But it’s a mystery why the Industrial Area is left out in such a state. I have been working in an office in the Industrial Area for almost seven years and every two or three months I have to change my route because of the potholes on the roads. Street after street you can see abandoned vehicles, junk machinery and equipment lying around. Ditches on the main streets are big enough to accommodate a saloon car!
For me I still feel fortunate that in the evening I will be going back home, spend time with my near and dear ones, may go out to a mall or just take a drive on the beautiful Corniche. But I feel really sad for the people who live in the Industrial Area, have their accommodation in these streets which are completely dark in the night as there are no streetlights. Ironically, people staying are very same people who are constructing Doha’s big towers, buildings, parks, restaurants, hotels and roads, etc.
Why is there such discrimination against this area and towards people who work and live here? Neither the place is healthy/safe to stay nor pleasing in any way. If we can find the ways and means to keep other parts of the city clean and beautify, then I am sure we can do something about this place also.
I hope somebody from department concerned would read this and do something about it. I am sure many generous companies (like mine, who take good care of its staff and provide maximum facilities to those staying in the Industrial Area) would support and extend help as community service if authorities do something. If not for anything at least for the sake of our fellow human beings who live and stay in this area, we should take some concrete steps.
Qatar is a beautiful country, with great leadership and vision and it is progressing on the right path. It would be really nice if we can call it not only a developed nation but a people-friendly nation too. And in turn happy people would certainly add to the fortune and further development of the country.
Savita Mohan (e-mail address supplied)
It is not cricket
Dear Sir,
Although I am not a cricket fan, I felt so disconcerted over the reports of the shameful spot-fixing in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Cricket is now a multibillion dollar industry and because of that the game is being targeted by criminals who manipulate matches to enrich themselves and launder dirty money through betting systems.
One really feels pity for the scandal-stricken players for their hunger for money. Their huge income, almost comparable to that of Bollywood film stars, does not make them satisfied. Their greed drives them into a vortex of corruption.
Sport is considered to be the tool of strengthening social harmony and cultural integrity. However, something is rotten in the cricket field.
I also pity the fans who love the so-called cricket stars and celebrities to an extent close to worship. How can the fans be sure that their heroes are not making a mockery of the game and not fixing deals with the bookies? It is not the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that the players have cheated but millions of people around the world who passionately watch their “thrilling” performance on the pitch. It is nothing less than a criminal offence.
The offending players must be dealt with sternly to prevent such swindles in future and be a lesson to other players.
K K Nazimudeen, PO Box 441, Doha
The need for positive outlook
Dear Sir,
In response to the letters, “Don’t shut your Eyes to reality” by Ashwin Anilkumar (May 19) and “Optimism is great, but realism is must” by Zinnira Shaikh (May 21), I feel they see things only from one side. This is not to criticise the views of Anilkumar, who says he is 14. I, being 17 years of age, could understand the emotions of a 14-year-old teenager. But he should understand that India is a land of contrasts and contradictions. You can spend a lifetime there and be none the wiser in trying to understand India’s vast complexities.
I strongly support M J C Nair’s views (“Narrow views about India”, May 20) because what we need is a positive approach towards the current situation in India. Being the largest democracy in the world, the example of governance given by Zinnira Shaikh is quite ridiculous and impractical in a country like India. The very constitutional and judicial setup of India is different and we need to think of implementing sustainable changes confining to these legislative setup. If we keep on criticising, it would end up in a great catastrophe where everyone loses hope. On the contrary if we have a positive attitude we can do a great deal.
More than 714mn Indian citizens complete the process of electing a new government every five years. That is the about same as if the entire populations of the US, Russia, Japan, Germany and the UK were to decide to go to the polls together. This will give some perspective to those readers who have never been to India and know little about the country.
India is an emerging global economic, scientific and technological superpower. It is already the fourth largest economy in the world in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP). This is more relevant than the GDP which is the sum of all goods and service produced in an economy and one of the frequently-used economic development indicators. India is a country with one of the largest Forex reserves. The Indian IT sector is moving up the value chain to software development and beyond. The distance between Silicon Valley and Bangalore is reducing. India’s science and technology have reached the lunar surface. Our cuisine is one of the best in the world and food for the palate and the soul. When generals have elated themselves as presidents for life in various parts of the world, Indians can be proud of their defence forces who stay out of politics.
Finally, the Indian reality is one of stark contrasts. Rolls0Royce, Mercedes, and BMW cars jostle for space alongside rickshaws.
If we keep on dwelling on the past, forgetting all these facts, it will be of no use. My dear brother Anilkumar, you and me and all other Indian youths can productively contribute our talents and energies towards the economic and social development of India in the coming years and be proud to be an Indian. What we do now is keep on criticising and wish to bask in the glory of other nations.
As Zinnira Shaikh mentioned in her letter “Optimism is great but realism is must”, people who are too optimistic may seem annoying. But this is an unfortunate misinterpretation of what an optimist really is. An optimist is neither naive, nor blind to the facts, nor in denial of grim reality. An optimist believes in the optimal usage of all options available, no matter how limited. As such, an optimist always sees the big picture. How else to keep track of all that’s out there? An optimist is simply a proactive realist.
I would like to quote the words of Winston Churchill here: “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty”.
Sreekumar Ravindrakumar, 123sreekumar@gmail.com
Change is on the surface only
Dear Sir,
In response to the letter “Poll lesson for parties” by Khawaja Umer Farooq (May 20), let me ask him about the credibility of the recent elections held in Pakistan. Does he think the election was fair? Does he really think that the current political scenario offers a big change as compared to the earlier one?
For me, nothing has changed except the Awami National Party (ANP) being replaced by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Nawaz and company taking over from Zardari and company in federal block. Rest is the same. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will continue its governance in Punjab while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) will again form the government in Sindh with coalition of MQM. If all the parties share the government again and play the role of opposition just for the namesake, how could one say that any group will learn a lesson from the polls?
Waqar Qadeer, (e-mail address supplied)
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