WORLD DAY FOR SAFETY & HEALTH AT WORK- 28 April 2009

The International Labour Organization marks its World day for Safety and Health at work on 28th April every year. World day is an international campaign to promote safe, healthy and decent work all over the world. We celebrated this day at Saud Bahwan Group with a series of events which included administration of the 'safety pledge', display of safety banners/posters at prominent locations, exhibition of safety equipment and a full fledged mock evacuation drill.

Similiar programmes were conducted at all our branches/sub locations all over Oman. The event evoked a lot of enthusiasm and was celebrated with wholehearted participation by all the employees. Following are some photos clicked on the occasion :

A poster at the 'Security Control Room'

Administration of the Safety pledge at Toyota Service.
Safety pledge ceremony at the Security Control Room

'Samosas' after the event (courtesy Deepak)

Safety & Security team after the mock drill

Facility Physical Security Management - Best Facility

By the end of March I had visited all the company facilities at various places all over Oman. There are hundreds of properties of varying sizes and functions at different locations viz : showrooms, warehouses, vehicle yards, workshops etc. The best facility from the physical security point of view, in my opinion, is a warehouse, the pictures of which are appended below.

The entry/exit gate with remote controlled dual

barriers for vehicular traffic. Personnel and visitor

entry is through the security control room at the

left which contains all the access control systems.

The boundary wall (9 feet) with a chain link fence

topped with barbed wire(3 feet) running

all around the facility.Hydrant pipes along the boundary wall with outlets

at various places. All outlets have a box with two

hose reels and a branch pipe/nozzle.A view of the warehouse from outside. Protective

lighting all around is with metal halide lamps which

have a long life and replicate sunlight best

(these are the types used at sports stadiums). Overground hydrant pipes and lighting poles can be

seen in this photo. Underground water pipes do not

last long owing to the high salt content in the soil.Drain holes along the boundary wall secured

with a tamper proof wire mesh.

In addition to the above the facility has an excellent fire prevention and fire fighting system consisting of dual water tanks with dual fire pumps. A fire alarm system, sprinkler system, manual call points, alarm bells outside at regular intervals, break glass units etc. This is one facility which I found conforming to most of the principles of facility physical security management.

Internet Connection - At Last !!

At long last I got my broadband connection through Omantel a couple of days back. I had applied for the same on 19 January 2009. This was made possible by some intense follow up by my colleagues in our telecon dept as well as some lobbying by friends. While I was cribbing about this state of affairs to the guys who had come to install the peripherals, all the response I could elicit was "Mabrook" ( which means "मुबारक हो !" or "Congratulations"). It seems folks who had applied for a home connection as far back in August 2008 are yet to get it.

The ADSL modem (which I had to purchase by paying cash) cost 26 Rials (or Rs 3380/-), installation cost is 10 Rials and the monthly rental is 12 Rials. Wait, the best is yet to come, the icing on the cake is the free download/upload I get. I am entitled to a grand 1 GB of free download/upload per MONTH !! Yes, you read that right - 1GB per month. Beyond that I will be charged at 1 Rial per GB of download/upload. Even e-mail attachments count towards this.

The other fantastic discovery I made is that a host of websites are blocked (not just the 'pondy' ones, which can be expected). Voice over Internet Telephony (VoIP) sites like 'skype' are also blocked (there go my dreams of anticipated long chats with my better half !)

Some friends here who are enjoying this luxury tell me that their bills are in the range of 30 Rials per month if they behave themselves and refrain from spending too much time on the net.

All this is thanks to the monopoly of the sole service provider. Well, since beggars cannot be choosers, here I am, blogging from the cosy confines of my residence. It is better than trudging to the nearest cyber cafe, waiting for my turn on the PC and finally paying the exhorbitant fee and counting my steps back.

Birthday Bash !!

On 31st March I took my colleagues out for lunch and did not let it out that it was my birthday. We went to a restuarant nearby and one of the guys who knew let the cat out of the bag (the bum !!). Well, after lunch we came back to office and went about our business as usual. I got a call at 5.00 PM to reach the Security Control Room (my office being a short distance away) asap. Imagine my surprise when I saw everyone gathered over there waiting for me to cut the cake (which they had arranged at short notice). I was overwhelmed and my day was made ! I enjoyed every minute that day.
I would also like to thank all my friends and well wishers who had sent me e-cards, mails, wished me on this blog, sent me SMSs and even called me up. A big THANK YOU to all you folks.
Following are some pics which were shot on that day.

Settling down for lunch at TFC (not to be confused

with KFC) - Trivandrum Fried Chicken ! Howzzat ?

Fareed, self, Paresh, Santosh, Mahfoodh (hidden),
Nashib, Deepak and Ismail.

At the office after hogging the cake.

Santosh (hidden), Mahfoodh, Nashib, self,

Paresh and Deepak

Khalid, Ismail, Santosh and me.

Recession in Oman !

The effects of recession are now being felt in this part of the world too. Of course, things are not as bad as in some other countries. It is not that folks do not have money to spend – just that everyone seems to be adopting a ‘wait and watch’ stance. As far as the automobile sector is concerned, people are waiting for prices to fall, which is a remote possibility. This posture was fuelled by American carmakers slashing their prices in the face of possible financial ruin. Japanese and Korean car manufacturers seemingly have no such ideas. The price of crude, which is now witnessing an upswing, is also an important factor in this game. As per the market buzz if the price stabilizes at around $ 60/- per barrel it will auger well for the economy here.
In order to ensure that their bottomlines are not dented too much private companies have started adopting the following measures :
1. Putting fresh recruitments on hold.
2. Downsizing the workforce -shedding excess baggage and non-performing assets.
3. Adopting cost cutting measures.
4. Encouraging overtime and multi-tasking rather than adding manpower.
It remains to be seen as to how long this state will last !!

World's Fastest Ferry Service !

On 18th of March I happened to take my first ride on a ferry - the world's fastest ferry ride. I had gone on a branch visit to a place called Khasab which is located on the northern tip of Oman a day earlier. I flew to that place on the 17th and since return flights are only on alternate days I took the ferry service (which is daily) back to Muscat. 18th March also happens to be the day I was commissioned into the Indian Army in 1978. So it was a memorable day for both reasons. Actually ‘ferry’ is a misnomer because the vessel is more like a luxury cruise liner. It was a good experience for a first timer like me. The ship cruises at 48 knots per hour and sitting inside one does not feel as if one is travelling over water. The crew (nice looking ladies) keep feeding you throughout the five hour journey to Muscat and with music and TV programmes to keep oneself busy the journey was a pleasure. We left Khasab at 1100 hrs and docked at Sultan Qaboos Port at 1600 hrs. So I can now say that it took 31 years of service for me take my first boat ride. Following are some pics I took :

The ferry leaving a trail of froth on departure.
Crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
Ships at Sultan Qaboos Port.

Beggars on Wheels !

Some time back it was reported in the press that beggars have been seen in Muscat. This was unheard of not so long ago. Well, I have not seen any beggars around till date, not in the way we are used to in India, at traffic lights, places of worship and streets. But on two different occasions I was accosted by car borne gentlemen (accompanied with families) while I was walking to the mess where I have my meals (a 10 minute walk from my residence). Both of them gave me sob stories about coming to Muscat on a visit and having lost their wallets and being generally high and dry, children not having eaten a morsel etc, etc.

Imagine the sight of a Toyota Corolla or a Nissan Tiida coming to a halt near you and the occupants giving you such bullshit. These incidents happened within the space of a week. I came to know that one family was from India and the other from Pakistan (both countries truly represented !). Well, they did not get a single ‘baiza’ from me but got a long lecture regarding painting our respective countries in poor light. Later on I was discussing this issue with my colleagues in the office and was surprised to learn that nearly all my Omani friends have faced such situations. And gentlemen that they are, they got conned and parted with various amounts upto a maximum of 10 Rials (Rs 1300.00).

“ I call them Car Borne Beggars -Saale bhikari yahan bhi aa gaye !!”

Obtaining a Driving Licence in Muscat

Getting a driving licence in Muscat is akin to obtaining a 'Green Card' by illegal immigrants in the US. The process has become so tedious and time consuming that it is a project in itself. For obtaining a driving licence, one should be above the age of 18 years, produce two passport photos, fill the relevant application form, produce the sponsor's approval and copy of Passport and Civil Card and pass the physical and eye test. Upon successful completion of all these activities and depositing the requisite fees (5 Rials) one gets the 'learners licence' in a booklet form. Learners are allowed to drive in Oman only through a certified driving instructor in their vehicles. These vehicles are white in colour with maroon stripes and display the name of the driving school etc (mobile driving school). The instructor familiarises the learner with the rules, systems and roads. All vehicles are 'left hand drive', rules of the road are rigidly followed and speed limits are upto 120 kmph. The instructor charges 5 Rials per hour with the clock ticking from the moment you sit in the car till you get out.
Four tests are to be passed in the following sequence before a regular driving licence is granted :
1. Traffic Sign Test - Here the learner is required to identify various road signs pointed at on a chart by the Royal Oman Police (ROP) officer.
2. Drum Test - In this test one has to reverse through two rows of empty 200 litre drums without touching any of them. The eight drums are positioned in two rows of four each in such a way that there is barely enough space to park the car. The entire exercise has to be done in reverse gear ONLY and shifting to any other gear or the car moving forward leads to failure.
3. Slope Test - Here one has to move up a slope from a standstill position without rolling backwards or without the wheels making a screeching sound. The slope is cemented and is smooth so as to make the proceedings more miserable.
4. Road Test - In this test the ROP officer sits in the co-drivers seat and gives instructions to test your driving skills on the road in traffic. Even a minor mistake or lapse earns a disqualification.
Failure in any test means a retest for which the requisite fee has to be deposited again and a fresh date for the test is allotted. One has to go back and practice again for that particular test. At present the waiting period in Muscat between two tests is 30 to 40 days. I cleared my drum test in the second attempt on 28 Feb 2009 and I have to appear for the Slope test on 16th March. Going by the present trend it seems unlikely that I will get a licence before May. Thankfully my company pays for 25 hours of driving classes. For any time spent learning/ practising beyond that, one has to foot the bill himself.
P.S. There is NO other way to obtain a driving licence in Oman unlike some other places I know !!

Images of Oman

During the last two months I have been visiting various places all over Oman where my company has branches. Getting out of Oman I was fascinated by the scenery and the natural beauty of the surroundings. I am posting some photos which I clicked during these trips

View of Fujaira (UAE) from Dibba (Oman)
Gateway to Sohar - the Industrial hub of Oman

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque - this marvellous work

of art is a few minutes walk from my residence.

Scenery just after leaving Muscat leading to Nizwa

Beautiful straight roads !!

Sunset before reaching the destination.

Some more scenery !

The grand mosque at Rustaq.

Roundabout at Salalah.

View of Salalah airport from the guest house.

This place is just like Kerela with banana

and coconut plantations aplenty

Salalah roundabout at night.

View of Salalah by night.

Apologies !!

I have not been able to update my blog as often as I would have liked to much to the chagrin of my friends and well wishers who yearn for news from this end. My sincere apologies to them. Well the reasons for this are twofold, firstly I have been quite busy in visiting all the company's facilities all over Oman (about 35 locations !) and secondly, I have still not got my internet connection despite applying on 19 Jan 2009. Will try my best to be regular in future.