Massive traffic jam in parts of Delhi- NCR ahead of Diwali - Watch video
Commuters reported that otherwise smooth stretches were congested throughout the day. To manage the festive rush, the Delhi Police cancelled leaves of all traffic personnel.
The capital city witnessed massive traffic in several parts amid the pre-Diwali rush. The traffic in most of Delhi came to a crawl with major intersections remaining gridlocked, and key market areas and routes witnessing bumper-to-bumper jams.
Commuters reported that otherwise smooth stretches were congested throughout the day. Many shared pictures of vehicles crawling or standing still near Connaught Place, Rajpath, ITO, and key roads leading to Chandni Chowk, Karol Bagh, and Khan Market.
Surging crowds spilt onto nearby roads in markets across Delhi, including Chandni Chowk, Lajpat Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, and Karol Bagh. Traffic gridlocks stretched for kilometres, and travel times doubled as vehicles crawled through narrow lanes.
To manage the festive rush, the Delhi Police cancelled leaves of all traffic personnel.
“Maximum deployment has been made across the city. Personnel on motorcycles have been deployed, and leaves have been cancelled. We are fully prepared to manage the rush and ensure smoother movement in the coming days,” Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ajay Chaudhary told news agency PTI.
This week, social media was flooded with posts from frustrated commuters stuck in jams in the city.
“Is it just me, or is the traffic in Delhi batshit crazy the last few days?” asked a user.
Another user claimed that they have been stuck in the same spot for over 2 hours. “I’ve never seen traffic like this in Delhi! I've been stuck in the same spot for over two hours, and nothing’s moving. Called 112 three or four times, but the call kept dropping, and no one called back. What a mess!”
One netizen reported heavy traffic in Dhaula Kuan and said, “Ring Rd from Dhaula Kuan to DND is also part of Delhi, not just NDMC! It took 4 hours to drive from Dhaula Kuan to the Ashram yesterday. Not a single policeman on the entire route. Refund my petrol money if u can't control traffic.”
On Thursday, long queues were witnessed along Mathura Road, heading towards East Delhi, at Pragati Maidan. Northwest Delhi also experienced congestion, with heavy traffic jams reported at the Outer Ring Road, Netaji Subhash Place, and Madhuban Chowk in Pitampura.
On the Delhi-Gurugram corridor, a half-hour halt was reported on the NH-48 flyover, while traffic near Jamia Millia Islamia also moved slowly.
Jams were reported across central, south, east, northwest, outer and outer-north Delhi, with users sharing pictures of packed roads. Major routes, such as KG Marg, Vande Mataram Marg, Shahjahan Road, Sardar Patel Marg, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Setu, and Vikas Marg, experienced persistent congestion.
Commuters also complained of jams on Lala Hardev Sahai Marg, GT Karnal Road, Raj Niwas Marg, Roshanara Road near Ghanta Ghar Chowk, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Baba Kharak Singh Road, and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Road.
(With PTI inputs)