Tag Archives: technology
Pipe burst floods mall area
Pipe burst floods mall area Nivriti Butalia / 20 July 2013 Weekend plans to visit Ibn Batuta Mall were severely disrupted for some by a water pipe that burst on Thursday and was still causing problems on Friday evening — leaving hundreds of motorists trapped in traffic. The burst pipe released a torrent of water that submerged cars, stranded visitors and rendered the main road unusable, when it was unleashed about 9.30pm on Thursday. At 3.30pm on Friday, there was a line of at least 100 cars on the way to Ibn Batuta. Exit 25 of Shaikh Zayed Road was a congested mess, with cars along the right-most lanes turning towards the Gardens and Jebel Ali village coming to an almost standstill, while traffic on the other three lanes on the left were zipping along as usual. Discovery Gardens resident Ruel Pableo, who was stuck in the congestion for almost half-an-hour, said the main road exiting Discovery Gardens, next to the mall, was still flooded. Police had cordoned off the main road with police tape, rerouting traffic through to the second exit — a much narrower and indirect thoroughfare. “Most people didn’t know what was going on, because it happened so late at night.” He said it was just like a “morning rush” on a Friday afternoon. He could still see some of the remaining water on the main road from the incident that happened a day before. A trip that would usually take 10 minutes took him more than three times the duration because the route was much more indirect. Although the mall had issued no formal statement, there were fewer cars in the parking lot on Friday. Two of the mall security guards told Khaleej Times that while there was definitely no rush at all, this may or may not have been due to the floods. One of the guards, who left work at 1am, said when he got on to the road on his way back home to Ghusais, he felt he was “on an island — there was that much water everywhere. It’s an unusual sight in these parts”. On his way to work on Friday morning, the company bus had to take a different route to reach the mall. Taxi drivers were heard refusing to ferry customers along the stretch of Shaikh Zayed Road that involved exits 25 and 27, advising people instead to use the trains and save time otherwise doomed to be spent on the road in traffic. Dubai Electricity and Water Authority VP — Marketing and Corporate Communications Khawla Al Mehairi said the flooding was due to a “breakage” in one of the lines. “However, we responded fast and the matter was under control. The main cause is still unknown and the matter is under investigation. However, the water services supply is not impacted because our system is very reliable and the area won’t suffer from any water shortage.” When contacted for further detail, an authority spokesman refused but said more information would be forthcoming once the investigation had been conducted. nivriti@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Blast outside Bahrain mosque
Blast outside Bahrain mosque Our Correspondent / 19 July 2013 A car bomb exploded on Wednesday in the parking area of a mosque in Riffa Town, south of Manama, but caused no casualties. The town is not among the disturbed areas. Bahrain police banned two protests scheduled for Friday as the first announced measure to implement the directive of the King to security authorities to take all the necessary steps to enforce the law. The order of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was issued short after the blast on Wednesday. King Hamad issued the statement, condemning the attack and ordering security forces to enforce the law against instigators of these terrorist acts and accomplices who committed or assisted in such acts. “The people of Bahrain have had enough and have run out of patience over such acts that are strange to the people of Bahrain and their morals,” King Hamad said. According to the Interior Ministry the bomb was made of gas cylinder. The same method was followed to arson a building of a company in the early hours of Wednesday that damaged the offices. The ministry through its twitter account highlighted that the two protests scheduled for Friday are banned and violators will face legal actions. shamada@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Remembering Gangu
Remembering Gangu Patrick Michael / 19 July 2013 The death of Gangu Batra in Long Island, New York, on Tuesday has shocked those who knew and worked with him during his long years in the UAE as the CEO of Jashanmals. “He was an amazing human being, a legend in his own right and he had a tremendous impact on us. We as a family owe so much to him,” said Suhail Jashanmal. Batra, 83, leaves behind three children — Meena, Kavita and Shashi — and five grandchildren. He will be cremated early next week in Long Island. Gangu, as he was affectionately known, was a disciplined leader who rose from the ranks to head Jashanmals as its Group CEO. He retreated from corporate life in Dubai about 18 months ago and left for his family home in Long Island to be with his children and grandchildren. Time — and those who worked with him and knew him in the UAE and around the world — will judge him as talented businessman, a gifted leader and a visionary CEO who served Jashanmals for 57 long years. Batra knew his market, knew his business and he knew his cash register. And he always got the job done. “He was a great leader, a great friend and mentor not only to us but to all those who worked with him and the companies he dealt with around the globe,” said Tony Jashanmal over the phone as he waited to catch his flight to New York to attend Batra’s funeral. “I have received tributes from friends and business houses that Batra worked with praising his business acumen and mentoring. He was the ideal businessman and a thorough professional. He was a father figure to all of us and the staff enjoyed working with him because they knew he would walk that extra mile for them,” he added. Even in his late seventies Batra loved what he did. Despite all that he accomplished he still felt he was only just starting. It was so characteristic of the man who turned around a troubled company into one of the most recognised and successful ones in the Gulf. “Once in every while you meet an individual who not only leaves a lasting impression on you, but also changes your outlook on life, work and values. Gangu had that unexplainable charismatic quality. I have lost my elder brother,” said Tanvir Kanji of Inca Advertising. This writer had the privilege of meeting Gangu on several occasions. It was the force of his intellect and his dedication to Jashanmals that always struck me. His piercing eyes and gravelly voice had a certain authority about it. When he walked into a room you could hear a pin drop. Such was the presence he commanded. He was not feared or trifled with. He was known for his repartee and he could crack a joke at the drop of a hat and have everyone in splits. “I knew Gangu Batra when I was a student, studying in India. It goes back to the early 50s in Kuwait, when I came on holidays. It was always extraordinary to watch how delicately he managed the family members of our company, in those days known as Jashanmal & Sons. It was because of his professionalism that today the same Company is a limited liability one. We doff our hats to this young man who started as salesman and became the CEO of Jashanmal Group of companies,” said Mohan Jashanmal. There will be many who will miss Batra’s smiling face around the dinner table at the Sebastian Restaurant at Intercontinental (now Raddisson). where he would often break into fluent Arabic leaving many of us who had been around long enough to have learned the language, embarrassed. “I will miss his quarterly roundtable dinners with Hisham Al Shirawi, Ahmed Ramdan, Ahmed Al Banna and others,” said Ram Buxani, President, International Traders (ME) Ltd, Dubai. “The vacuum created by his passing away will be difficult to fill. Batra was a human par excellence who had carved a niche for himself in Dubai. His smiling face will always be remembered as a symbol of inspiration.” Batra had very eventful tenures as Acting Chairman of IBPC as well as Chairman of the Electronics Forum, now known as TEG. Although he did not belong to electronics industry, he played his role well. “I carry nostalgic memories of my association with Gangu which goes back at least 45 years. He used to live in Kuwait and manage the Jashanmals there under Naraindas Jashanmal, Tony’s father. I used to sell Gangu Nylex brand nylon embroidered sarees of Japanese origin that Jashanmals used to market. I always found him to be very understanding and fair and it is these qualities that brought us even more closer when Jashanmals shifted him to Dubai,” he added. Gangu Batra will be missed. He will also be remembered. — patrick@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
