Looking Beyond The Facade

 

09.09.09 has been a Red Letter day in the history of UAE and particularly for the people of Dubai, the day when Dubai metro was officially inaugurated and it was formally opened to the public the next day. The media and the citizens of Dubai gave a double thumps up by flocking to have a ride on the brand new mode of transport. This also provided an apt opportunity for the authorities to prove ... if we promise we deliver! After all actions speaks louder than words! The date was well in advance and while the residents debated and argued about the feasibility of this milestone, RTA saw to it that no stone remained unturned to achieve this feat. The commitment has been honored, at least to a good great extent and we shall wait for 10.10.10 to see the metro fully operational in all directions and stopping at all stations.

When the Dubai metro was conceptualized, the economic situation on ground was much different than what we see now. The current economic downturn, rightly termed as Economic Tsunami, had taken its toll the construction industry as well as the tourism industry globally. There is no denying of the fact that Dubai like anywhere else has been affected and we could perceive it to this degree because Dubai was at its peak enjoying everything king-size at the time of the downturn.
I personally used the metro twice and on both the occasions it was on the weekend. First time it was after I had put my car for service and the next one was a joyride as my wife and daughter were left out of the metro experience, when we parked at the Rashidiya station car park and went up Khaleed bin waleed station and back.
There is no doubt that the tourists and the shoppers from world over will start flocking back to Dubai sooner than later. This time they will have the opportunity to view Dubai from a elevated level. I have an observation which might be worth having a look at. All this days as we have been driving through the Dubai roads we have been ever impressed by the neatness and the beauty of this city. Every inch of the city is neat, clean and well organized and soothing to our eyes. The pavement is worked out to the minutest details and the islands between the roads are beautified with manicured plantation of seasonal flowers and occasional date palms. As we have started to travel on the metro, our view of the city have received another dimension. We have now been exposed to a view which is beyond the beautiful facade. We could see the warehouses with their mess, we could see the rooftops cluttered with the equipment and we see more than that. It is definitely not anything comparable to the mess and clogged slums that we notice in some other city in Asia or the subcontinent.

But we are discussing Dubai, one of the best kept cities of our times and why should there be any eyesore which can be done without. Why should it settle for less if it could help? I suggest that citizens of Dubai comes up with ideas which is cost effective as well as sustainable and earth friendly to bring the view from the top to the same degree of finesse as it is from the road level.