India, March 5 -- In IC Colony, Borivali west, a family cradles their 92-year-old father, picking their way through rubble and waist-deep trenches to reach an ambulance. Every second counts.

Across the city, at Sandhurst Road, a trader forfeits four business hours daily, opening only at noon after a sleepless night. The losses keep piling up.

Nearly four years after Mumbaiites were promised a pothole-free Mumbai, citizens are still paying a bitter price. The road concretisation drive, launched with much fanfare by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, has breached two deadlines already. The latest is end-2026 or early 2027.

But it's not the faltering timeline that has Mumbaiites seething, nor is it the extent of the work. With 62.5% of ...