India, Oct. 23 -- When 46-year-old Lalit Suraj Bhola returned to India from the United States in 2003, he never thought that improving the civic infrastructure of a residential neighbourhood would become a defining part of his life. An IT engineer by profession, Bhola has spent years taking up residents' complaints with civic authorities to make the sector a better place.

In 2017, Bhola became the general secretary of the Sector 9A residents' welfare association (RWA). He said his efforts to improve the neighbourhood started before he took up the formal responsibility. The sector's low-lying terrain has long posed challenges, particularly during the monsoon due to inadequate drainage and waterlogging, he added.

"I aimed to make Sector 9...