Jebel Ali

dubai marina

List of Residency and Foreign Affairs Centres (GDRFA) in Dubai

GDRFA General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in DubaiGeneral Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA) has provided a list of centres operating under the residency department all over Dubai.

Residents are suggested to visit these centres instead of rushing out at the Head Office.

– Jebel Ali branch working hour’s 07:30-20:00 contact number 04-7075430
– Al Manar centre at Dubai Municipality branch on Shaikh Zayed Road, working hours 07:30-20:00 contact number 04-7075971
– Al Safa Clinic Centre in Al Safa, working hours 07:30-2:30 contact number 04-7075911
– Al Lisaili area Centre , working hours 08:00-18:00 contact number 04-7075290
– Al Khail Mall Centre on Al Khail Road, working hours 07:00-2:30 contact number 04-7075721
– Dubai Electricity and Water Authority Centre, working hours 07:00-20:00, contact number 04-7075915.
– Dubai Airport Free Zone, working hours 07:00-20:00, contact number 04-7075609
– Dubai Municipality Centre in Al Tuwar, working hours from 07:00-20:00, contact number 04-7075162
– Medical Fitness Centre at the medical fitness clinic, working hours 07:00-2:30 contact number 04-7075820.
– Arabian Plaza shopping mall in Mirdif / Al Mizhar , working hours 07:30-20:00 contact number 04-7075153.
– Bin Souqat Centre, Rashidiya working hours 07:00-20:00 contact 04-7075933
– Festival City Centre at Festival City, working hours 08:00-20:00 contact 04-7075261.
– Aamal Centre, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Deira, working hours 08:00-2:30 contact 04-2721383.
– Dubai Municipality Clinic Centre working hours 7:30-2:30 contact number 04-7075874.

*In addition to the newly opened GDRFA Service Centre at Dubai Airport, departures terminal 3. Gate No. 2. Open to public around the clock seven days a week.

Tourists in Dubai to get a free mobile SIM

Dhs 300 fine for falling asleep in Dubai Metro

sleeping in Dubai Metro

Watch your Zzzz while you ride on Dubai Metro, because if you doze off, you could get a rude awakening – and a fine.

As Gulf News reports, a US student, who visited her parents in Dubai recently, boarded Dubai Metro from Khalid Bin Waleed station. She dozed off and went past Ibn Battuta station where she was supposed to get off.

A ticketing inspector woke her up at Jebel Ali station, the last south-bound stop on the Red Line. Before she had the chance to regain her composure, she was handed a Dh300 fine.

A schedule of fines listed by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) inside train stations does not specify people can be fined for sleeping on the train.

The general rule, however, states that a Dh300 fine will be slapped for “sleeping in the waiting areas, shelters or any place where it is prohibited“. Asked why people get fined for sleeping on the train, an RTA official gave a slightly different definition: “It is the rule … [no] sleeping in the waiting areas, shelters or any place in a public transport environment. Fine will be Dh300”.

The RTA has published a code defining 31 situations that invite fines ranging from Dh100 to Dh2,000, some of which are:

Dh2,000 – using security or safety system such as the emergency exits, unless it’s essential
Dh500 – damaging, sabotaging or tampering with the systems, equipment and seats of public transport means, facilities or services
Dh300 – Sleeping in passenger shelters or prohibited areas
Dh200 – carrying weapons, flammable articles or any hazardous material
Dh100 – Eating, chewing a gum, drinking, causing disturbance or carrying pets (except guide dogs)

So you pay more fine for sleeping in the Metro than carrying weapons abroad.

Such fines are not imposed anywhere else in the world, not even in countries like Japan or Singapore. However, one can not complain in Dubai as this is how the government earns its bread and butter.

Image is for illustration purpose only.

City Center Station of Dubai Metro will make Deira more atrractive

People of Dubai are quite excited about upcoming launch of Dubai Metro. Some consider it as a refreshing alternate to traffic-clogged buses and overcharging taxis, while others take it as an attractive addition to Dubai landscape, allowing commuters to access far reached places with far more conveniently than currently possible.

The Metro station named City Centre Station, built right next to Deira City Center, the popular shopping mall, will not only serve visitors to the mall but thousands of others working in hotels, banks, airline offices and offices in the Port Saeed area of Deira.

It is the first underground station on the Red Line when coming from Al Rashidiyah and Dubai airport.

It has been built under the intersection on Al Ittihad Road, linking with Street 14 (name of the road behind the Deira City Centre).

It is located at the Al Ittihad Road intersection between the Dnata building intersection and the Floating Bridge intersection.

The station has four access points, providing access to commuters on all four sides of the intersection.

The City Centre Station was built primarily to provide an alternate transport mode for shoppers to Deira City Centre – one of the first air-conditioned malls built in Dubai.

The Dubai Shopping Centre is another comparatively smaller mall close to the station. There are also a number of leading banks located just two to 10 minutes walk from the station.

There are more than one dozen three- to five-star hotels in the vicinity within a walking distance not more than 10 minutes. Offices of the Ministry of Energy and Etisalat are located within a 10-minute walk.

Those who work in or want to visit the Dnata Building, which houses offices of almost all the airlines operating in Dubai, can also use the City Centre Station.

It will be one of the most convenient stations for commuters coming from Sharjah. They can park their cars and ride the Metro to continue their journey using the Red Line to their destinations on the way to Jebel Ali.

There are ample parking facilities available around the station.

This station will also be the closet for visitors to the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club – voted one of the ‘top-100 Must Play’ golf courses in the world. It incorporates an 18 hole golf course, a five star hotel, residential villas and 121-berth marina.

Image: Gulf News