India, May 11 -- As a reporter in Gurugram, I have often seen civic bodies clash over issues related to city management, with coordinated action usually emerging only after intervention from higher authorities. One such episode unfolded at Rajiv Chowk last week, where I unexpectedly found officials from the National Highways Authority of India inspecting the crucial intersection linking new Gurugram's growing sectors with administrative blocks.

The atmosphere at the site was visibly tense. Officials admitted that the chief minister of Haryana had expressed dissatisfaction over the upkeep of the intersection during his April visit to Gurugram. Matters had worsened after a cave-in incident on the Sohna elevated corridor a day earlier, plac...