The capital witnessed massive traffic in several parts amid the pre-Diwali rush. Traffic in most of Delhi began to crawl, with major intersections remaining gridlocked and key market areas and routes witnessing bumper-to-bumper traffic jams.
Commuters reported that the otherwise smooth stretches were congested throughout the day. Many shared images of vehicles crawling or standing still near Connaught Place, Rajpath, ITO and key roads leading to Chandni Chowk, Karol Bagh and Khan Market.
Crowds spilled onto nearby roads in markets across Delhi, including Chandni Chowk, Lajpat Nagar, Sarojini Nagar and Karol Bagh. Traffic jams stretched for kilometers and travel times doubled as vehicles passed through narrow lanes.
To handle the festive rush, the Delhi Police has canceled the departures of all traffic personnel.
“Maximum deployment has been made across the city. Personnel on motorcycles have been deployed and exits have been cancelled. We are fully prepared to handle the rush and ensure smoother movement in the coming days,” Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ajay Chaudhary told PTI.
This week, social media has been flooded with posts from frustrated commuters stuck in traffic in the city.
“Is it just me or is Delhi traffic crazy these past few days?” the user asked.
Another user claimed to be stuck in the same place for over 2 hours. “I’ve never seen traffic like this in Delhi! I’ve been stuck in the same place for over two hours and nothing is moving. I called 112 three or four times but the call kept dropping and no one answered. 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. There was not a single policeman on the entire route. Give me back my petrol money if you can’t control the traffic.”
On Thursday, long queues were witnessed on Mathura Road heading towards East Delhi at Pragati Maidan. Northwest Delhi also experienced congestion, with heavy traffic jams reported on Outer Ring Road, Netaji Subhash Place and Madhuban Chowk in Pitampura.
A half-hour standstill was reported on the NH-48 flyover on the Delhi-Gurugram corridor, while traffic near Jamia Millia Islamia also moved slowly.
Congestion was reported across central, south, east, northwest, outer and outer north Delhi, with users sharing pictures of congested 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 traffic 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.
