Published Paper Details:

India's rapid infrastructure expansion, driven by initiatives such as the National Infrastructure Pipeline, Smart Cities Mission, and large-scale urban water supply schemes, has been accompanied by persistent cost and time overruns. As of mid-2025, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) reports ongoing cost escalations exceeding INR2.89 lakh crore across major projects, with sectors like railways, urban transport, and pipeline infrastructure showing overrun rates far above the national average. This study systematically examines the root causes, financial impacts, and potential mitigation strategies for overruns in Indian infrastructure megaprojects, with a sectoral focus on pipeline projects. Adopting a mixed-method approach, the research integrates an extensive literature review, quantitative analysis of MoSPI datasets, and a detailed case study of a INR185-crore urban water supply pipeline project in West Bengal that experienced a 15-18% cost overrun and a delay of nearly 12 months. The findings identify regulatory delays, procurement inefficiencies, mid-project scope changes, material price inflation, and labor disruptions--exacerbated by global shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic--as the most critical drivers of overruns. Sector-specific complexities in pipeline projects, including multi-agency clearance requirements, specialized material dependencies, and route realignments due to urban encroachments, make them particularly vulnerable. This work contributes to infrastructure project management literature by bridging national-level trends with sector-specific operational insights, offering actionable recommendations for policymakers, project managers, and sector stakeholders to improve delivery timelines, cost control, and fiscal efficiency in India's megaproject ecosystem.