Srinagar, July 27 -- In India, when a public project succeeds, an officer's name is prominently displayed. There are press conferences, social-media posts, glowing profiles, awards, appreciation letters and carefully photographed inauguration ceremonies. The officer is described as the "brain behind the transformation," the "architect of change" or the "driving force" behind the project.

But when the same project fails, suddenly nobody has a name.

The officer becomes merely one member of a committee. The consultant prepared the design. The engineer supervised the work. The contractor executed it. The department released the money. The weather was unusually severe. The population increased unexpectedly. The infrastructure was inherited. ...