India, Sept. 2 -- What was once a stretch of garbage and sewage beneath South Delhi's Barapullah flyover is finally beginning to resemble a city planner's vision. A gravel path now winds under the elevated road, bordered by newly laid grass and native shrubs. Saplings line the corridor, their tender leaves shimmering in the monsoon drizzle as birds and butterflies return to a place long abandoned.

After two decades of false starts and forgotten plans, the ambitious South Delhi Greenway project has finally broken ground.

The project aims to transform the 12.5-km-long Barapullah drain into an ecological and cultural corridor. Work is now underway on the first 4.5-km stretch, with cycle tracks, pedestrian walkways, and landscaping already ...