The India AI Impact Summit 2026, held in New Delhi, captured the world’s attention with major investment commitments, international technology partnerships, and the New Delhi Declaration on Fair and Trustworthy AI. It showed ambition. It showed scale. This signals India’s intention to lead in the next technological era.
But step outside the summit hall at 8.30pm and drive from Delhi to Gurgaon and you will see another side of the new India: the chaos of everyday roads. It’s not new. It has always existed. But in recent years, the situation has gone from bad to considerably worse.
In 2026, a 30-kilometre stretch of NH48 could take longer than a flight to Mumbai. Google Maps might promise 45 minutes. However, peak hour traffic typically extends this to 90 minutes or even 120 minutes. Thanks to the viaduct and freeway, commute times are expected to one day be reduced to 25 to 30 minutes. Until then, the stalemate will continue.
If you need to use the restroom while on the road, there are few reliable public facilities along the highway. If you are in an ambulance, sirens do not guarantee passage. In 2025, Delhi recorded 1,617 road fatalities out of 1,578 fatal accidents, an increase of 4.2% over the previous year and the highest number of fatalities in seven years. Traffic jams are not just an inconvenience. It shows safety gaps and system strains.
It’s not just about Delhi
Bangalore’s main roads freeze during peak hours. Mumbai’s monsoon has exposed the fragility of drainage channels, turning the daily commute into a slow journey through soggy stretches and hidden holes. The Gurgaon crawl became a ritual of resignation. Hyderabad and Kolkata have their own versions of the same stresses: high vehicle density, uneven infrastructure and inconsistent enforcement.
Compromise does not stop with time
We sacrifice air quality for our health every time we step outside. We compromise on water quality, which requires filtration, boiling, and constant vigilance. We are compromising on food safety and even doctors are advising caution.
Recently, my doctor told me to avoid eating out, even at the best restaurants, because you never know what kind of gastritis will come home. In cities like Gurgaon, public parks, cultural spaces and open recreational facilities remain limited, and ‘going out’ often means eating out. Entertainment becomes consumption. And that also comes with risks.
Over time, these compromises accumulate. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the prevalence of infectious diseases, the lack of safe public spaces where children can run around and families can gather – all of which are quietly and immeasurably eroding our quality of life. We will make adjustments. We have installed an air purifier. We order bottled water. We handle medicines. We accept that it is normal to feel unwell several times a year.
we adapt. we will leave earlier. We build buffers into our schedules. We exchange live traffic information on WhatsApp. Dysfunction disappears into the background noise.
Road to Vikshit Bharat 2047
The gap between ambition and basics is not about rejecting AI. It’s about setting priorities.
Functioning cities are built on predictable foundations. That is, roads that are designed and maintained for actual traffic. Clearly mark lanes to be respected. Drainage that withstands seasonal stress. Public toilets that are clean and easy to use. Synchronized and enforced traffic signals. Reliable waste management. Safe public water. breathable air. Accessible and well-maintained public recreational spaces. These are not attractive investments. It doesn’t trend on social media. They shape daily life and public health.
Cities like Dubai can showcase prototypes of the future because core systems such as roads, signage, enforcement, sanitation, and public facilities are already reliable. Reliability allows experimentation. Once the ground is working, you can look up at the sky.
India is trying to do both at the same time.
The broader vision of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ is not just about semiconductor factories and data centres. It must also be based on lived experience. Commuting 30 kilometers for two hours has a financial and psychological cost. So does air that damages our lungs, water that makes us suspicious, and urban design that reduces leisure to restaurant tables in shopping malls.
None of this is against AI investing. Intelligent transportation systems, predictive maintenance, environmental monitoring, and data-driven governance can meaningfully improve city management. But advanced tools work best on a stable foundation. Algorithms cannot compensate for broken lanes, uncontrolled encroachments, unsafe food handling, weak sanitation systems, or lack of public infrastructure indefinitely.
The question is not whether India should lead in AI. The question is whether we can pursue that leadership while treating everyday urban functions and public health as urgent rather than peripheral.
The author is freelance writer Radhika Dhingra. The views expressed by the authors are their own.
