Khaleej Times

SHARJAH, Oct 31: The death toll in Monday’s fire in three factories in Sharjah Industrial Area has risen to five — all Asians — with three more succumbing to the burns yesterday morning.

Two workers were found charred to death by Civil Defence personnel during fire-fighting operation that continued till 11pm. The three others passed away in Al Qasimi Hospital in Sharjah in yesterday morning.

The workers who died in the hospital are Faizullah, 27, and Mohammed Rawdwan, 28, both from Bangladesh, and Indian C.A Rageesh, 30. The names of the two who were found dead at the site is still not known. Eight workers had received first and second degree burns, according to Dr Saqr Al Mulla, surgeon at Al Qasimi emergency ward.

He said three injured workers brought by Civil Defence personnel  at 5.30am were in a very serious condition. “We couldn’t save their lives,” Dr Al Mulla said. “Four others have first and second degree burns while the fifth one has injuries in his hand and fracture in the legs as he jumped from the building after breaking a glass windowpane. They are still in the hospital,” the doctor said.

Ghareeb Shabban, Director-General of Sharjah Civil Defence, said that the fire was brought under control at 9pm after which the cooling operations started. The Civil Defence fighters found two charred bodies in the debris of Al Safeena Al Sharq lubricant company.

He said the damage to the properties could run into millions of dirhams as seven vehicles were completely gutted, 10 oil tanks and 12,000 galloons of lubricants exploded.

Colonel Shabban said the emergency committee recently formed to reduce the number of fire accidents has been conducting inspections in the firms in industrial areas. It has fined several companies which have failed to follow the fire-safety regulations.

Prevention of fire accidents is a joint responsibility of the Civil Defence and owners of companies and warehouses, he said.

Norull Chaudary, an official of Al Zeyad Card, whose warehouse was also gutted in the accident, said the fire erupted in Safeena Al Sharq lubricant factory first after an explosion. It spread to a glass factory and the Al Zeyad’s warehouse. He said none of their employees was injured.

UAE: Call for Agency to Check Legal Status of Expats
Khaleej Times

ABU DHABI, Oct 31: There is need to set up a national authority to check the legality of residence status of non-nationals and crack down on illegals, Mohammed Yousuf , head of the UAE Journalists’ Association has said.

Yousuf shared this view in interviews conducted by the Ministry of Interior and the General Police Directorate with a number of senior journalists on the topic of amnesty.

Yousuf said inspection campaigns should continue to be conducted against illegals and there is a need to keep a tab on the residence status of non-nationals.

Neville Parker, deputy editor of Khaleej Times, commended the decision taken by the Ministry of Interior to grant grace period to the illegals to legalise their status or leave the country without receiving any punishment or paying fines.

“The UAE came up with an ideal and civilized manner in handling issues related to illegal residents,” he said, adding that the move helped the local labour market getting rid of several problems caused by illegal workers, which had a negative impact on the national economy.

Parker also stressed on the importance of inspections to monitor the status of expatriate labour force in the country, especially on farms and in remote areas.

Habeeb Al-Sayegh, bureau chief of Al Khaleej Arabic newspaper in Abu Dhabi said the offering of grace period to illegals to regulate their status was a very good gesture from the government.

Al Sayegh further noted that the inspection campaign against illegals would greatly contribute to regulate the labour market and enhance efforts to correct the demographic imbalance, especially as nearly 10 per cent of the population reportedly comprised illegals.

He stressed on the importance of raising awareness on the provisions of the labour law of the country. The law, he suggested, should also be translated into Urdu, Persian and Pushtu languages.

Ali Shahdor, deputy chief editor of Al Bayan, the Dubai-based Arabic newspaper, stressed on the importance of the role of media in the period after the expiry of the amnesty deadline in curbing the problem of illegal workers.