T21 07 2015

Page 1

28 126

6 085010 120010 SCAN THIS QR CODE TO INSTANTLY LAUNCH THE VIDEO

DIGEST VIDEO Top stories in one minute with our new daily Digest

TUESDAY, July 21, 2015 / 4 Shawwal 1436 AH

timesofoman.com

H I G H T E M P E R AT U R E S

wtimesofoman.com

facebook.com/timesofoman

N AT I O N A L D AY

HM sends greetings to King Philippe

BEATING THE HEAT: Many people are taking their children for swimming to cool off. – Supplied photo

Heat forces people to remain indoors SARAH MACDONALD

sarah@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: In Salalah people may be enjoying mild temperature and drizzles outside, but in the north the soaring temperature and intense humidity are chasing people indoors. With temperatures in the mid to high 40s and humidity above 80 per cent, most people are spending their time under the air conditioners and finding ways to entertain themselves without venturing out. “The weather is very bad, actually. It’s too hot, worse than other years,” said Sanu Thomas Philip, who was at the cinema with his friends on Monday afternoon. He added that most of the time when he’s not working, he passes the time on social media. The forecast for the north of Oman throughout the week is sunshine and temperatures in the 40s, with a chance of thunderstorms in the Hajar Mountains, and dust storms later in the week. The amusement centres, playrooms, food courts and cinemas were all attracting people who were looking for something to do on Monday, the last day of

the Eid holiday. “It’s way hotter than normal and we’re expecting it to get worse. We’re usually at home under the A/C, and a bit bored, looking for things to do,” said Amna Al Balushi, passing her time at Qurum City Centre with her sister Amina and their children. Al Balushi said sometimes they take the children for swimming to cool off and once in a while brave the heat to go to the park so that they can play. “They don’t mind the heat as much as we do,” she said. Heather Burt, a resident of Muscat who has a baby and a 4-year-old, says the “horrible” weather has forced them to spend a lot of time inside doing arts and crafts, online study programmes, reading books and baking. Burt said some of the ways children can pass their time in Muscat during these hot days is to join summer camps, though her children aren’t old enough for them, and visit the malls. “There are a lot of great summer camps specialising in arts and cooking and more which are for older children, and also indoor playrooms are a life saver, like the new one at Muscat Grand Mall,” she said. >A3

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of greetings to King Philippe of the Kingdom of Belgium on his country’s National Day. In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere greetings and wishes of good health and happiness to the King and his country’s people further progress and prosperity. —ONA

MUSCAT: A cross section of people, particularly academicians, have welcomed the Sultan Qaboos University’s (SQU) move to curb smoking on its campus. “It might be an opportunity for other institutions to consider smoking ban at work or study complexes as well,” said Ali Abdullah, a teacher at a private college in Muscat. He noted that there is a designated zone in his college for smoking. However, Ali still feels that the college should take serious note and completely ban smoking on the campus. “The number of student smok-

ers is on the rise,” said Ali. Many students sit with their teachers in the smoking zone and love to discuss something of common interest, he pointed out. “While some try to imitate their peers, others enter the zone to see what it takes to be a smoker,” he said.

ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company

Absconders top 57,000 in 2015 already

OMAN

Tourism booming in Sultanate

1

Tourism has been booming over the last few years as 618,000 tourists visited the Sultanate of Oman until the end of April 2015. The Khareef season has already seen a large number of visitors. >A3

REGION

UN Security Council endorses Iran deal

WORSENING PROBLEM: The problem only gets worse during public holidays such as Eid. – Supplied photo

2

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution endorsing the historic deal on Iran’s nuclear programme and cleared a path to lift sanctions. >A4

According to employers, the problem of absconding workers in Oman only gets

MARKET

worse during public holidays such as Eid

Gold dips to five-year low on heavy selling

FAHAD AL GHADANI

fahadnews@timesofoman.com

3

Gold prices slumped to the lowest point in nearly five and a half years, weighed down by reports of massive selling in China. >B1

Smoking curb move welcomed fahadnews@timesofoman.com

blog.timesofoman.com

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

SQU CAMPUS

FAHAD AL GHADANI

twitter.com/timesofoman

“I spoke to many student smokers and asked them how they started and why. Most of them said they were trying out an occasional cigarette and soon found they have become regular smokers,” said Ali. The Student Counselling Centre at the SQU had recently conducted a study on the spread of smoking among varsity students and its causes. The study reflected the university’s interest in providing a suitable academic environment for students, by creating awareness on the negative impacts of smoking on health and how it reflected directly on a student’s ability to achieve their academic and career goals. >A3

MUSCAT: More than 57,000 expatriate workers have absconded from their employers since the beginning of this year, according to the figures from the Ministry of Manpower. To be exact, some 57,420 workers fled their employers in the first six months of 2015, representing around three per cent of the 1.8 million expats registered in the country. And, according to employers, the problem only gets worse during public holidays such as Eid. There are just 10 days left of an immigration amnesty for runaway workers, a grace period which has so far attracted much fewer than expected. A Majlis Al Shura member said, “These are alarming figures. Ministry of Manpower needs to study and find out the reason why so many employees abscond. “Maybe a new rule such as finding and deporting them after three months from the date they are reported absconding may be a good idea to curb the worsening problem.” He called on employees not to be tempted to abscond from their

Alarming figures

57,420 Expatriate workers are absconding from their employers (2015) Illegal expatriate workers reported

14,254

7,382

6,872

already deported

to be deported soon

Source: Ministry of Manpower

Graphics

employers. “If they have issues with their bosses they should approach the Ministry of Manpower to help them sort it out instead of running away. The Ministry of Manpower ensures the rights of every resident who is on a work visa in Oman,” he said. The Shura member said that they should be made aware that it is illegal to work for an employer other than the one who hired them legally under the Omani labour law.

“People should be aware that employing absconded workers is not legal,” he said. Some employers said that most of the workers abscond during a holiday break such as Eid. “They just do not show up after the holidays. They get together with friends who sometimes encourage them to run away,” said the employer. Rashid Khalfan, owner of a construction company, said three of his employees have run away during the last Eid holidays. “While we give them a break to enjoy their holidays, the workers prefer to abscond. This is despite paying them their dues as per their contract. What I think is that some of their friends convince them that if they abscond they can earn more and work less elsewhere,” he said. Unfair treatment While Rashid is justified in being disappointed, in some cases employees abscond because of unfair treatment. Hussein Ali, an HR manager at a construction company, believes that if employers looked after the rights of workers and owed them their dues, they would not be tempted to leave. “When employees feel they have been treated well and have received what is rightfully owed to them, they will refuse any other offer to leave,” said Hussein, and added that his company makes sure before the holidays that all dues of the employee are settled. “The company sometimes provides extra support to employees if required,” said Hussein. >A3

D E S T I NAT I O N S A L A L A H

House, taxi rents rise ahead of Khareef Festival PANKAJ KUMAR SHARMA

pankaj@timesofoman.com

Pasta — the world’s most perfect food

B5

SALALAH: With the Eid holidays and the Khareef Festival nearly overlapping, house rents and taxi fares in Salalah, the Sultanate’s tourism capital, show a steep rise. This happens every year with the influx of tourists, say Salalah hoteliers. A two-bedroom apartment in the new Salalah area, which was available for between OMR40 and OMR50 before Eid, has risen to OMR70 during the Eid holidays, and is expected to reach OMR100 at the start of Khareef festival. This amounts to a nearly 100 per cent rise in a fortnight. The influx of tourists was low during Eid as most of the arrivals were from across the country and very few people from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) could be seen in this picturesque destination. However, with the advent

MOVING UPWARDS: The rent of a double-bed apartment is expected to reach OMR100 at the start of Khareef festival.

of the Khareef Festival, tourists from GCC and Arab countries are expected to flood this destination further pushing up the rents. Even taxis, which normally cost between OMR30 and OMR50 for the tour of Nabi Ayub, Gravity Point and Al Mughsayl in the Dhofar governorate, can charge

anything between OMR70 and OMR80 during Khareef. When asked about this rise in fares, a person connected to the hospitality sector, said on condition of anonymity that it had to do with the demand-supply gap. “Barring the Khareef Festival, the flow of visitors to Salalah is low. Everybody wants to come to Salalah at this time to enjoy the green cover, rain and the amazing beauty of fog-covered mountains and its surroundings. The entire hospitality sector waits for these two months with eager anticipation. This is the reason for the rise in rents,” he said. “If you come here during the other months, you will find neither the drizzle nor the green cover, and, therefore, lower rents,” he added. “Chartered fights do come from European countries during the other months, but they prefer high-end hotels and cater to the niche market not the other seg-

ment which eye Khareef for the handsome earnings,” added the resident. Even a real estate broker in Salalah said, “People here prefer rent agreements for just 10 months to make the most of tourist visits. For the remaining two months they prefer renting out their apartments to visitors to maximise their income.” “If one wants a two-bedroom apartment in Salalah on a 10-month lease the rent will be OMR150 per month, but for a 12-month agreement the rent will rise to OMR200 per month. The premium of a Khareef visit is added to the rent,” said a resident. Similar is the case with taxis, added a private taxi driver. Given the government’s move to attract more tourists to the Sultanate, the need of the hour is to create the infrastructure to meet the rising demand of visitors. Construction is on in Salalah but it’s time to expedite the schemes.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.