India's big cities face big challenges of toxic air, broken roads and unpicked rubbish

Many Indian cities rank at the bottom of liveability indexes despite big government spending on infrastructure.

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I had asked him why Rajasthan's amber-hued capital - thriving with tourists drawn to its opulent palaces and majestic forts - looked so ramshackle.

His answer reflected a resigned hopelessness about the urban decay that plagues not just Jaipur but many Indian cities: choked with traffic, shrouded in foul air, littered with heaps of uncleared rubbish, and indifferent to the remnants of their glorious heritage.

In Jaipur, you will find the most sublime examples of centuries-old architecture defaced by tobacco stains and jostling for space with a car mechanic's workshop.

This raises a question: why are Indian cities becoming increasingly unliveable, even as hundreds of billions are spent on a national facelift?