India, May 15 -- At Roshanara Bagh, Delhi's oldest Mughal-era park, history isn't just neglected - it's rotting in plain sight. Once the leisure haunt of princesses and poets, the 17th-century garden has reeked of neglect for decades. But last year, it was infused with a new lease of life when under a Rs.11 crore project funded by the central government, the lake was desilted, landscaped, and beautified.

But less than a year after being declared restored, the lake at its heart is once again under siege - half of it choked with thick algal bloom. A pungent stench rises from its water. Even the ducks now struggle to navigate the dense green scum. The sweet promise of restoration that arrived decades late has already soured.

It wasn't mean...