New Delhi, Jan. 21 -- On a foggy winter night in Greater Noida, 27-year-old Yuvraj Mehta did not die instantly. He did not vanish without warning. He did not become another statistic in a road accident ledger. Mehta died slowly-minute by minute-while pleading for help.

His car had fallen in a deep water-filled pit at an under-construction site. Road visibility was negligible as his car reached a right-angle turn with a flimsy barricade and no reflectors, despite complaints about this hazard. Dense fog concealed what governance should have prevented.

Mehta survived both the crash and splash. He was only minutes away from home. He climbed onto the roof of his slowly submerging car, switched on his phone's flashlight and called his father ...