No driving licence to nurses, tailors among 100 categories in UAE

Dubai, Nov 30 (UNI) Nurses, bakers and tailors are among the 100 categories who cannot apply for a driving licence in the UAE.

The other professions who will be denied the right to drive a vehicle include cooks, carpenters, housemaids, watchmen, cafeteria waiters, unskilled labourers and gardeners as well as expatriates in those jobs which do not require a university degree.

A Sharjah Police official told Gulf News that the interior ministry has instructed traffic departments last week to stop opening driving licence files for people belonging to about 100 categories as mentioned in their residence visa.

''The move is meant to reduce the huge number of vehicles by limiting the number of professionals allowed to obtain driving licences,'' the official said.

The traffic in Dubai and Sharjah is notorious as it takes upto four hours daily for thousands of residents to drive to workplace.

School children also spend the same amount of time in buses, starting off to school as early as 4.45 am (local time), which has come under a lot of criticism.

A driving school instructor said the school received the decision last week. She said this would affect the schools as many applications will be rejected.

Many Indians work under the 100 categories mentioned in the new rule often take a driving licence to improve their career and change jobs, which will not be possible now.

UNI XC PD RK0940