Governing a city: Lessons for India from the Dubai model

I am writing this after a short visit to Dubai. Going around the city and talking to people, I was quite impressed by the way the city is governed, and I thought we in India can learn a lesson or two from what has been called the Middle East’s entrepot, a prominent centre of trade and commerce.

What catches one’s immediate attention is the city’s excellent infrastructure. High-quality, broad roads with well-marked lanes, wide sidewalks with evenly laid tiles, bright street lights and a clean environment greet the visitors.

Traffic moves smoothly and rapidly, though it can get slowed down at traffic junctions, where, at times, there can be long waiting times. What comes as a pleasant surprise to those visiting from India, particularly from chaotic Bengaluru, is the virtual absence of traffic violations (even cab drivers scrupulously follow the rules).

Civic services are efficient and effectively delivered. Though the UAE, of which Dubai is a part, is a highly water-scarce country, situated as it is in a desert region, the government has ensured adequate water supply to the residents. With very little rainfall, 75% of which is lost in evapotranspiration, people enjoy a per capita supply as high as 550 litres per day, nearly five times more than in Indian cities. As surface water is negligible, the primary source of water is desalination, which accounts for 90% of the supply, with the balance coming from underground sources.

Treated waste water is used for non-potable purposes like gardening and landscaping. Bottled water is used extensively. The people of Dubai have the dubious distinction of being the highest consumers of bottled water, consuming as much as 285 litres per capita per year.

With seven percent of the global oil reserves, the UAE is the 10th top crude oil producer and the fourth-largest net exporter in the world. The country ensures uninterrupted power supply and electricity is generated through gas-powered plants.

Dubai has adopted a Clean Energy Strategy, which aims to increase supply from clean/renewable sources to 25% by 2030 and 75% by 2050 with a view to reducing carbon emissions. Its aim is to transition to renewable energy, primarily solar, but also by developing nuclear power plants.

Apart from good infrastructure, what is remarkable about Dubai is law enforcement. Public safety is of the highest order and anyone, including women, can walk on the streets anytime of the day or night without any fear.

Violation of laws and regulations attracts hefty penalties. Failure to follow traffic signs will result in a penalty of AED 500 (equivalent to about Rs 10,000). Other offences have similar exorbitant fines: parking in a no-parking area (fine of Rs 20,000); failure to cede right of way to pedestrians (Rs 10,000); dangerous/reckless driving (Rs 20,000) and so on.

It is interesting to see so many Indians living and employed in Dubai strictly adhering to the law, in stark contrast to their behaviour in their motherland.

Sexual harassment attracts severe punishment, ranging from detention for six months to two years imprisonment and a fine of AED 10,000; and, in the case of rape, death within seven days.

In the UAE, sexual harassment is broadly defined as any unwanted and unsolicited attention pressed upon a person regarding their gender, including unwelcome sexual advances, and other physical acts resulting in the victim feeling uncomfortable and violated.

Comparing Dubai or the UAE with
India may not be valid in view of the huge differences between the two in size,
population, economy, resources and the political regime.

Being an oil-rich country, it has a high per-capita income of $44,315, nearly 20 times that of India at $2,256. But we can look at Dubai in a comparative perspective.

Dubai is a metro with 3 million people, what may generally be called a mid-sized city, but bears an international character in view of its economic importance and a large migrant population, as high as 90%.

One of the largest airports in the world, Dubai is now the busiest international airport (ranked ahead of London in 2022), with about 64 million passengers passing through it annually.

It attracts a large number of tourists - about 16 million a year (pre-Covid) - the highest being from India. There are excellent facilities for visitors to tourist spots, particularly for disabled persons. Wheelchairs are made available for a nominal fee and they are admitted on a priority basis, avoiding long queues.

Are there any lessons India can learn from Dubai? It can be argued that Dubai is rich enough to make necessary investments in infrastructure while our cities are woefully short of resources. But we can certainly do better in managing our cities in terms of providing a cleaner environment, better traffic management and ensuring hassle-free municipal services.

Perhaps, the single biggest lesson to be learnt is in law enforcement. Why is it the same citizens who flout the law in our cities exhibit good citizenship by respecting the law in Dubai or in western countries? Simply put, it’s fear of the law.

First, the penalties are heavy and, secondly, there is no way one can escape punishment once an offence is committed. No amount of bribe or any sort of political or VIP influence can work.

Can we bring about this one change in our urban society when we boast of our talent in IT, science, arts and industrial enterprise? Again, it is possible to argue that ours is not an authoritarian regime and law cannot be enforced with a heavy hand in a democracy.

But what about western democracies, where compliance with law is of a high order? We talk a lot about freedom of expression, the right to agitate and so many other rights, but we have not been able to prevent crimes against women, which keep occurring every other day.

Why not agitate for public safety, where males and females, of whatever age, can walk freely on the streets anytime during day or night? After all, the primary duty of any government is to protect its citizens and uphold the rule of law.

Perhaps, this is the right time to take up this cause when political parties are preparing for elections. Can they make rule of law and public safety part of their election manifesto?

India is forging ahead in economic development and the adoption of modern technology to take its due place in the international arena. But what is the use of prosperity if people cannot live in peace and security?

(The writer is former chief secretary,
Government of Karnataka)