India, April 13 -- Gurugram's image as a millennium city of glass facades, expressways and aspirational living quickly unravels on the ground, where waterlogging, broken roads and dust define daily life.

I have been living in Delhi-NCR for three years, and reporting from Gurugram has made it clear how deeply these civic issues affect residents. Even before the monsoon has properly set in, brief spells of rain have already left several parts of the city waterlogged, turning routine assignments into a test of patience.

Authorities have repeatedly claimed that drains have been cleaned and vulnerable stretches identified. On the ground, however, even the first shower exposes glaring gaps.

The roads in Sectors 69 to 72, near the Southern Pe...