SOURCE : THE NATIONAL
Ministry uncovers visa abuse
Some officials have granted work visas for sponsors who obtained Emirati passports legally.
ABU DHABI - Jul 03:Unscrupulous passport officials have been issuing residency visas illegally to housemaids and casual workers, says the Ministry of Interior, which is vowing to flush out its “in-house lawbreakers”.
“We are ready to strike back and we are catching those who break the law,” said Brig Gen Nasser al Minhali, the head of the Abu Dhabi Naturalisation and Residence Directorate. “We won’t go easy on any employee who breaks the law and tries to help visa traders.”
While tough new penalties had reduced the activities of gangs that dealt in counterfeit visas, Brig Gen Minhali said he was aware that some officials in his department were abusing the system.
Until recently, the directorate received one or two telephone tip offs every day reporting gangs that were selling visas for between Dh5,000 (US$1,361) and Dh12,000.
But since last year, when the Government introduced prison sentences and fines of up to Dh70,000 for the offence, the number of incidents has fallen.
“Now when we get a call it is about one of the employees using his privileged position to issue visas he is not supposed to issue,” said Brig Gen Minhali. “This information is more important to us as it is faster and easier to act upon; it speeds up the process of catching the violators. It is a more scientific technique.”
Brig Gen Minhali said the department was also monitoring potential offenders among the public. “We are applying an evaluation system: if Emirati “Nasser” came and asked for 10 visas for housemaids and then the following day said they had all run away, the next time we would not issue visas unless it was absolutely necessary.”
In 2007, the department caught 600,000 people violating visa laws, including those who had overstayed their official welcome and others who were working on visit visas. Since November 2007, however, there have been only 16,734 such cases. The department is now focusing its efforts on what officials have described as “in-house lawbreakers”.
Any employee found to be involved in the sale of visas is not only fired but faces six months in prison and a fine of up to Dh70,000.
Penalties have been increased for visa violators: previously, anyone employing a maid they had not sponsored could be fined a maximum of Dh10,000. Now, in addition to a Dh50,000 fine, they can be jailed for a month and, if they are not Emirati, will be deported.
Brig Gen Minhali said his department was also clamping down on illegal immigrants, workers who ran away and people working on visit visas – and those who helped them. In one case, a resident of Baniyas was fined Dh1 million and jailed for a month after being caught housing 10 illegal immigrants.
A visa amnesty between June and November last year gave many the chance to find jobs and legalise their status. More than 95,000 took advantage of the opportunity, while 246,699 left the UAE with a visa ban, said Brig Gen Minhali. After the amnesty ended, more than 6,000 violators were caught in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. The amnesty was accompanied by the introduction of various preventive measures: brochures are now given out at airports explaining the visa laws and the consequences of breaking them, sponsors and workers are sent text messages a month before visas expire and, as a deterrent, all serious cases are widely publicised.
Dubai taxi strike cut short
Dubai Taxi drivers stop working and park their cars infront of the Dubai Taxi office as part of a strike which was cut short.
Dubai - Jul 03: A strike by taxi drivers was cut short today when they agreed to go back to work with assurance that their demands would be discussed.
The drivers from Dubai Taxi Agency parked their vehicles in front of the main office in the Al Muhaisnah area of the city in the morning and refused to work until management would listen to grievances.
The drivers were upset with the penalty system of Dubai Taxi that allegedly imposes "unfair" fines on them for various reasons.
Abdul Aziz Malik, CEO of Dubai Taxi at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), confirmed that there was a strike but added that it was not clear how many took part in the protest.
"I will be talking to the drivers. We do not understand why they are striking. We are always looking at improving conditions of the drivers. We do a survey every year to know their requirements," said Mr Malik.
He added that the fines were not the only issue that was being raised by the drivers.
"If passengers complain about the drivers and if they are found guilty then we have to take action as per the rules," said Mr Malik.
Drivers and management are due to meet on Monday.
New town to keep heat at bay
Dubai - Jul 03:In a novel example of man and nature working in harmony, an entire town is to be built along a north-south axis to take advantage of cool breezes blowing in off the sea.
Architects, who say they have been inspired by the climate, landscape and environment of Dubai, have orientated the 60-acre Xeritown in Dubailand so the cool sea breeze is sucked into the town and the hot desert breeze is blocked out.
Farid Esmaeil and Ahmed al Ali of X Architects believe the principles behind Xeritown will provide Emiratis with their own architectural identity.
“Cities in the UAE aren’t growing in a way that their design respects this environment, this climate,” Mr Ali said. “We want to do urban design in such a way that is as if it grew here naturally. We want to create an identity here.”
A xeriscape is an urban or garden area, which is designed to minimise the use of water. The idea, the architects say, is to make the desert elements central to the design of Xeritown, rather than taking the view that the natural elements have to be overcome in urban design. Where water is needed for non-domestic uses, grey water and industrial waste water will be used.
“The strategy was to maintain the existing landscape, to preserve it in its most original form,” Mr al Ali said. “This hasn’t been done in Dubai. Most of the buildings here could be anywhere in the world. But we have a unique climate, it makes sense to design with it in mind.”
The streets will be limited to two lanes, reducing the number of vehicles on them. Public transport, Mr al Ali says, will be key.
The town is an exercise in what he calls social sustainability, an attempt to make street life more comfortable and lively with cafes, shops, shade and benches.
“We want different types of families, people of different ages, different incomes and different ethnicities to live here,” he said. “We’re thinking about social sustainability, not just environmental.”
The buildings will be tall enough to provide shade for the streets below, say the architects. They will provide shade without using palm or other trees, because most vegetation in the UAE is not native and is energy intensive.
Large flat circles will hang over the walkways on streets that are not shaded by buildings and photovoltaic cells will collect solar energy.
“We want to use the sun as passively as possible, meaning we don’t want to build a big, alternative energy machine, said Mr Ali. With PVC panels, we can direct energy to the grid and light spaces like the lobbies of buildings and parking areas, which will be underground.”
Sustainability is a buzz word, says Enrico Perez, an architect at the Abu Dhabi office of the international design firm Atkins Global. While he agrees with the need to minimise environmental impact through design, he is sceptical when he hears some of the ambitious green plans, especially in the UAE.
“People want to be able to say they are being green, the building is green,” he said. “But we need to sustain sustainability. And that means more education and laws.”
Mr Ali and Mr Esmaeil acknowledge the UAE has a lot to learn about good design and environmental responsibility, but believe the town could have a positive impact on residents if it is comfortable, enjoyable to live in and has streets that are built for people not cars.
“There are three types of foxes, one who lives in a cold climate, one in a forest and one in a very hot climate,” Mr al Ali said. “They are all foxes, but each one has different characteristics specific to the climate he lives in. Do you see what I’m saying? We need to be responsive to our environment. That’s what this plan is. It’s adapted to this place. It’s organic.”