Environmental monitoring patrols catch 393 violations in 2019

07 Dec 2019 – 9:18

By Sanaullah Ataullah | The Peninsula

Doha: The Department of Protection and Wildlife at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment has recorded 393 violations of some provisions of environmental law during 2019.

The violations included throwing wastes at unauthorised places, drifting on soil, grazing camels on prohibited pastures, hunting prohibited birds, cutting trees illegally and dumping sewerage water and cement wastes at undesignated areas, said the Ministry in a recent report.

The municipal inspectors of the Department also issued 217 warnings against environmental violations, caught 11 violations related to stone crushers and made three confiscations following the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The Department deployed special patrolling teams across the country to protect the green land and environment of the country. A hotline 998 was also issued for citizens and expatriates to report to the Department if they come across any type of environmental violation.

Speaking at an event earlier, Omar Salem Al Nuaimi, Director of the Department of Protection and Wildlife, had said that the Department deployed eight patrolling teams of inspectors to cover all areas across the country.

He said that the Department intensified inspection campaign to curb the violations of environment. Al Nuaimi said that the awareness campaign played key role in educating people – citizens and expatriates – about the importance of protecting the environment.

He said that the environment protection is also a social responsibility as each member of the community is accountable to throw the wastes at designated places and to make his/her contribution in protecting the greenery.

Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, attaches great importance on protecting the environment, preserving its natural resources and developing it for the future generations, within the framework of the Ministry’s sustainable strategic plan and Qatar National Vision 2030.

During the year 2018-19, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment made many achievements in various environmental fields, which were represented in the field of natural reserves, in the formal approval of the administrative plan for the Al Reem Reserve which was declared by Unesco as natural reserve, and the start of field work for the team on the project to release the bustard ( a endangered species of bird locally called Habari ) and Reem gazelles in the Al Reem Reserve.

The citizens were encouraged to acquire the Arabian Oryx and the Reem gazelle, to involve them in preserving wildlife and supporting the lovers of these species. The establishment of two reserves in the South has also been completed to provide and regularize the practice of hunting hobby in specific seasons.

Source : The Peninsula Qatar

15-hour traffic closure on Al Furousiya Street

05 Sep 2019 – 17:57

Maps shows closure on Al Furousiya St in the direction from the Equestrian Intersection to Al Rayyan Al Jadeed St.

The Peninsula

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) announced a temporary traffic closure on Al Furousiya Street in the direction from the Equestrian Intersection to Al Rayyan Al Jadeed Street while keeping traffic open in the opposite direction on Friday, September 6, 2019 starting midnight until 3pm.

In coordination with the General Directorate of Traffic, this temporary closure will be implemented to facilitate completion of the asphalt-wearing course.

During this period, road users heading to New Rayyan Interchange via Al Furousiya Street will be required to use Al Qalah Street then turn right towards Al Rayyan Al Jadeed Street to reach New Rayyan Interchange and continue to their desired destinations.

The Public Works Authority will install road signs advising motorists of the closure.

Ashghal urged all road users to abide by the speed limit, and follow the road signs to ensure their safety.

Source : The Peninsula

Indigo adds two more direct flights to Doha from India

21 Aug 2019 – 15:26

File picture of an IndiGo Airlines aeroplane. Reuters

The Peninsula Online

Indigo, the budget airline from India, has announced two more direct flights from Doha to India.

The airline has added a second direct flight each to Hyderabad, capital of Telangana, a southern Indian state and Indian capital city New Delhi.

The second direct flight on the Hyderabad-Doha route will start from September 16, 2019. The flight, 6E 1727, will depart Hyderabad at 2340 and will arrive Doha at 0125. The Doha-Hyderabad flight 6E 1731 will depart at 0225 (first flight on Sept 17) and will arrive at 0905. Booking for the flight are currently available till December 31, 2019 on the airline’s website.

The existing Hyderabad-Doha, 6E 1713, leaves at 06:50 and arrives at 09:00 and Doha- Hyderabad, 6E 1714, leave at 22.05 and arrives at 04.50.

The airline, which is the biggest in India in terms passenger volume, has also announced a second direct flight to the Indian capital from September 16,2019.

The Delhi-Doha flight 6E 1775 will depart at 20.20 and will arrive HIA at 22.00. The Doha-Delhi flight 6E 1776 will depart at 23.00 and will arrive in Delhi at 05.15. Booking for the flight are currently available till December 31, 2019 on the airline’s website. The airline will be flying a A320 in the route.

The existing Delhi-Doha, 6E 1701, leaves at 01:55 and arrives at 03:40 and Doha-Delhi, 6E 1702, leave at 14.15 and arrives at 20.35.

IndiGo flies to nine destination in India from Doha, which includes daily non-stop to Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai and four airports in Kerala – Kozhikode, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur.

Source : The Peninsula Qatar

Qatar 2022 World Cup emblem will be revealed on Sept 3

20 Aug 2019 – 18:36

QNA

Zurich: FIFA have confirmed on Tuesday that September 3 will be the date that the official emblem for the Qatar 2022 World Cup will be revealed.

In a post on their website, FIFA noted that the emblem for the 2022 event will be unveiled on Tuesday, September 3.

Qatar will host the World Cup for the first time in the history of the Middle East and the Arab countries, starting from November 21 until December 18, 2022.

Qatar is set to host the FIFA Club World Cup next December as part of its preparations for Qatar 2022 World Cup.

SOURCE : The Peninsula Qatar

Officials of two companies arrested over non-payment of salaries after peaceful strike by workers: GCO

17 Aug 2019 – 13:52

QNA

Doha: On 4 August 2019, guest workers in the Al Shahaniya area conducted a peaceful strike in response to the non-payment of salaries by their employers in May, June and July 2019. An investigation was immediately launched and the authorised signatories of the two companies in question were arrested. The findings of the investigation confirmed that salaries had been delayed following a period of negative cash flow at both companies, caused by non-payments elsewhere in the supply chain.

By 6 August 2019, after consultation with all stakeholders, the outstanding salaries of all workers were paid in full through the Wage Protection System (WPS). Workers also have the right to change their employer due to the violation of Qatars labour laws. The Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (ADLSA) is coordinating with all workers who choose to exercise this legal right.

The Government of Qatar is committed to improving the Wage Protection System (WPS) to ensure that workers wages are paid on time and that wage arrears are systematically settled.

In a statement today, he Government Communications Office (GCO) said that ADLSA continues to conduct its programme of workshops throughout Qatar to raise awareness of the complaint mechanisms in place for guest workers. If a worker identifies a workplace violation, they are encouraged to lodge a complaint at a Government Service Center or at one of Qatar’s complaint kiosks.

The Government of Qatar places the utmost importance on strengthening the rights of its guest workers and ensuring that all companies respect these rights and adhere to Qatar’s labour laws, the statement underlined.

Source : The Peninsula Qatar

Campaign to remove abandoned vehicles in Industrial Area

14 Aug 2019 – 10:24

The Peninsula

The campaign to remove abandoned vehicles in the Industrial Area launched yesterday, by the Committee for  Removal of Abandoned Vehicles in cooperation with the Department of Mechanical Equipment, the Municipality of Doha and the security authorities.

The campaign is part of continuous efforts of the Ministry of Municipality and Environment to end this phenomenon, which is distorting the general landscape of the country and has negative impact on environment. The campaign comes in accordance to the provision of Law No. (18) of 2017 on hygiene.

Saleh Hassan Al Kuwari, Director of Natural Reserves Department and Deputy Chairman of Committee for Removal of Abandoned Vehicles; Marzouq Mubarak Al Mesaifir, Assistant Director of Mechanical Equipment Department and Member of the Committee, Ghanem Nasser Al Qubaisi from the General Control Section in Doha Municipality and officials from the Internal Security Forces “Lekhwiya” were present at the occasion.

“The campaign will continue until the completion of the removal of all neglected vehicles in all areas of the Industrial Area,” said Saleh Hassan Al-Kuwari, Director of the Department of Natural Reserves and Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Removal of Abandoned Vehicles.

He expected that the number of neglected cars that will be removed during the campaign will be around 7 to 10,000. “This means that the campaign will continue for one to three months due to the large size of area and number of vehicles in the area.”

He said that this campaign targets the abandoned cars located within the borders of the Industrial Area, with the participation of a number of equipment and machinery belonging to the municipality and the relevant authorities, namely the internal security force “Lekhwiya” and the General Directorate of Traffic.

He pointed out that the abandoned cars that are lifted are transferred to the tow yard in Al Mashaf area, which so far has accommodated up to 25,000 cars. “Some 3,000 rickety cars were chopped off in two months,” he added.

As for the collection of abandoned cars in Umm Salal area, Al-Kuwari said that it was opened to serve the northern areas of the country to facilitate the process of lifting the abandoned vehicles and reduce the congestion of cars by booking Al Mashaf and Abu Hamour.

The officials during the launch of the campaign to remove abandoned vehicles in Industrial Area.

For his part; Marzouq Mubarak Al Mesifir, Assistant Director of the Department of Mechanical Equipment and member of the committee, said that the committee’s efforts started from the municipalities of Doha, Al Shahaniya and Al-Dhaen and now has come to the Industrial Area which is considered the most important. He added that the committee has intensified its efforts during the last period through continuous campaigns on these areas.

After transferring the cars to the tow yard in Al-Mashaf, Messemeir and Umm Salal areas, the legal procedures will be applied by granting six months to their owners, after which they will be disposed of by auction organized by the ministry, or at the request of local companies to get rid of them by cutting and benefiting from iron. He added that 4950 abandoned cars have been lifted since the beginning of this year, and the campaign will continue until the completion of cleaning all municipalities, expecting that the number of abandoned cars across the country will be about 17 to 18,000 cars.

Lieutenant Abdullah Ali Shuail Al Marri of the Internal Security Force, Lekhwiya, said: “Lekhwiya is involved in maintaining security and providing a number of heavy machinery for removal of abandoned cars that distort the public view.”

Lieutenant Ali Rashid Al Marri of the General Directorate of Traffic and Patrols explained that the traffic participation comes within the framework of cooperation with the concerned authorities, where patrols are organizing traffic during the removal process. In addition to help in lifting the neglected vehicles, which are hindering implementation of important development projects in the Industrial Area.

Ghanem Nasser Al Qubaisi from the General Control Section in Doha Municipality said that the campaign aims at removing the neglected cars from various streets from No 16th to 52. “Today, about 50-75 neglected cars were detected and removed during the morning and evening shifts,” he added.

Source : The Peninsula Qatar

MoI Eid events entice expatriate communities

12 Aug 2019 – 10:10

Pics: Salim Matramkot & Baher Amin / The Peninsula

By Sidi Mohamed / The Peninsula

Thousands of people from expatriate communities yesterday celebrated Eid Al Adha with a variety of cheerful cultural and sports activities at Asian Town, Labour City and many other places.

The activities included musical concerts, traditional stage shows, cultural performances, magic shows in Hindi, Bangladeshi, Nepalese and Bhojpuri.

It also included educative awareness programmes by different departments of the Ministry of Interior such as Traffic Department, Al Fazaa Police, Civil Defence, Community Policing Department, Search and Follow up Department, Drugs Enforcement Department and Human Rights Department.

The events were mainly organised by the Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Interior (MOI), in collaboration with other entities.

The Ministry said that the celebrations organised in various locations of Qatar with the aim of providing a safer environment in a closer location for the members of the expatriate communities residing in Qatar including the employees and workers of the companies to celebrate Eid Al Adha.

It also aimed to enhance and strengthen cooperation and communication between the Ministry of Interior and expatriates in Qatar by providing safety and security tips during these events.

Special prizes sponsored by Safari group and Grand Mall were presented to the audience through raffle draws as well as through the security awareness quiz by the Public Relations Department of the MoI.

The colourful activities attracted thousands of residents all the day and till late at night who celebrated Eid Al Adha away from their homes with joy and shared their happiness with their colleagues and friends. In celebrations, events were presented in multiple languages such popular Asian orchestra teams presented musical shows in Hindi, Urdu, Sinhalese, Nepali, Malayalam, Tamil and Bangladeshi languages.

The celebration at the Asian Town was held at the car parking area of the Cricket Stadium. “Today, we enjoyed many activities including sports, music, and awareness progammes. Some of my friends preferred playing cricket while others amused themselves with watching cultural activities,” said Zeeshan, an expatriate from Pakistan.

Mohammad from Bangladesh said that it was a beautiful day for him and his colleagues. “We fully enjoyed by indulging ourselves in leisure hobbies and listening to good music and songs in our national language. I also took part in a cricket match. It was a nice day for everyone and there are friends who prefer to go out with their friends to enjoy music and barbecue on the beaches.”

“Thanks to organizers it was a great day for expatriate communities. We feel as if we are in our country due to the variety of events and huge number of people from same nationality gathered at one place celebrating Eid Al Adha together,” said another expatriate, Noruddin.

Sheikh Abdul Basit delivering Khutbah at the Eid prayers organised by the Qatar Indian Islahi Centre (QIIC), in association with Abdullah Bin Zaid Al Mahmoud Islamic Cultural Center (FANAR), at the Abu Bakr Al Siddiq Independent School in Al Muntazah, Doha, yesterday.

This year’s Eid Al Al Adha celebration is being organized in collaboration with Indian Cultural Centre and is sponsored by Ibn Ajyan projects, Naaas Group, Safari Mall, Grand Mall, Trsnscind Group and Emco Qatar.

Also the Barwa Group in association with Waseef and in collaboration with Ministry of Interior conducted two mega cultural events at Barwa Al Baraha in Doha Industrial Area and Barwa Workers Recreation Complex in Al Khor Industrial Area.

Orchestra troupes and community artists performed in both venues, where the audience have got chances for showcasing their cultural talents on the stage in front of a huge crowd.

 

Source : https://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

Amir receives message from Iranian President

12 Aug 2019 – 13:30

QNA

Doha: The Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani received a written message from President of Iran Hassan Rouhani, on bilateral relations and ways of developing and enhancing them and a number of regional and international issues.

The message was handed by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif when the Amir met him and his accompanying delegation at his office in Al-Bahr Palace this morning.

The meeting also dealt with the latest developments in the region.

Source : The Peninsula Qatar

Qatar prevails over UAE in trade dispute at WTO

10 Aug 2019 – 9:19

Qatar flag seen on the Corniche (File pic/Reuters)

QNA

The State of Qatar announced yesterday that its permanent mission to the World Trade Organization (WTO) has received a formal communication indicating that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had withdrawn its WTO dispute concerning certain alleged measures adopted by Qatar.

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed in a statement that the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation released a statement confirming that the UAE formally backed down from their case.

The UAE’s failure in advancing this dispute against the State of Qatar demonstrates that the allegations made against Qatar were false and baseless, the statement said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ statement underlined that the UAE’s decision to withdraw its complaint so soon after initiating this dispute confirms that Qatar has, and continues to, uphold and comply with its obligations under the WTO, adding “Evidently, the UAE had no arguments or evidence to show otherwise, as such, the UAE has formally withdrawn their complaint prior to the initiation of any adjudication by a WTO Panel”.

The statement further said that the State of Qatar has previously asserted that the inability of UAE goods to enter the Qatari market is due solely to the trade restrictive measures imposed by the UAE, which has in turn – led to the suffering of the UAE companies. The continued export of gas to the UAE is a clear example of how Qatar upholds and respects its international obligations, the Ministry has stressed.

The statement asserted that the State of Qatar continues to pursue its own complaint against the UAE’s unlawful measures imposed on 5 June 2017, stressing that UAE must withdraw its illegal trade-restrictive measures.

It also pointed that a WTO panel is currently reviewing the claims brought by Qatar and will issue a binding report in due course.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed in its statement that the State of Qatar will spare no efforts in pursuing its legal rights, in all international fora, to ensure the withdrawal of the UAE’s unlawful measures against the State of Qatar, reiterating the State of Qatar’s commitment to comply fully with its WTO obligations and will continue to foster a stable and predictable trading environment for its economic partners around the world.

Source : The Peninsula Qatar

Qatar flights to and from Cochin suspended due to flooding

09 Aug 2019 – 12:21

Planes are seen parked inside the flooded Cochin international airport following heavy rain, on the outskirts of Kochi, India, August 9, 2019. REUTERS/Sivaram

By Mahtab Gheblehzadeh / The Peninsula

UPDATE: Story updated with photo from the airport

Doha: Qatar Airways, Indigo and Air India Express have suspended its flights to and from Cochin airport till Sunday, August 11, 2019.

“Airport operations at Cochin Airport have been suspended until 11 August due to extreme flooding in the area. As a result, Qatar Airways has suspended all flights to and from Cochin until 11 August 2019. Passengers are advised to contact Qatar Airways 24-hour call centre on +974-4023-0000,” Qatar Airways said in a statement on its website.

Passengers are advised to contact Qatar Airways 24-hour call centre on +974-4023-0000.

Indigo, who also fly direct flights to and from Doha to Cochin, on their Twitter handle announced that all flights are cancelled and passengers can cancel or reschedule at no charges.

“#6EUpdate: Due to the flood situation in #Kochi, we’re experiencing high call traffic and you might have to face some wait time. Passengers who are scheduled to travel from 09-08 to 11-08-19 are requested to visit Plan B (link: http://bit.ly/2PTGKWM) bit.ly/2PTGKWM to cancel/reschedule at no charges,” airline said on twitter.

Air India Express who also fly direct flights to and from Doha to Cochin, on their Facebook page announced that all flights are canceled but passengers can avail an alternate flight to and from Thiruvananthapuram, and flights take off tonight around 12:30 AM.

“All our Kochi-Doha and Doha Kochi passengers are requested to avail the alternate Thiruvananthapuram Doha – Thiruvananthapuram service. PS:Thiruvananthapuram – Doha flight will depart tonight around 12:30 AM”

The original Cochin-Doha flight IX 0475, which originally departs from cochin at 23:30 will now depart from TRV at 3:30 (Aug 10)

The Doha-Cochin on Aug 10 IX 0476, which originally departs Doha at 02:15 will now depart Doha at 6:20 and will arrive at TRV at 13:20.

“Free modification/ full refund will be provided to the affected passengers booked to/ from KOCHI,” the airline said.

Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) authorities announced suspension of flight operations at 9 a.m. on Friday. The airport will resume operations at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

CIAL Director A.C.K.Nair said the decision to close the airport was taken after flood water reached the taxiway. “We first decided to shut it till midnight, but then extended the closure till Sunday looking at the rising water in Periyar river. At the moment, there is little water on the runway,” Nair told IANS.

Source : The Peninsula Qtar