India, March 2 -- If you live in Pune long enough, you begin to notice a pattern. Big announcements arrive with confidence. Detailed presentations follow. Maps circulate on social media. Expectations rise. And then - silence, revisions, delays or sometimes a complete rethink.

It is not that Pune lacks ideas. In fact, the city may be one of the most ambitious when it comes to infrastructure ideation. The problem lies somewhere between planning and execution - a gap that commuters experience every single day.

The latest example comes from the proposed Metro Phase-4 corridor, meant to connect Khadakwasla to Kharadi through some of the city's most congested stretches. The project itself promises relief to growing suburbs, but the plan has a...