NEW DELHI: The rush to buy gold, jewellery, utensils and celebrate with relatives on Dhanteras came at a price for commuters in the national capital on Friday, with, traffic barely moving and roads leading to markets across the city choked with vehicles.
Motorists were left stranded on roads at several locations due to heavy, bumper-to-bumper traffic, resulting in long delays and inconvenience.
Amit Singh, a resident of Pitampura, said that the whole central Delhi was choked. “I left my office around 6.30 pm and initially got stuck in a massive traffic jam on Shankar Road, a stretch that usually witnesses relatively smooth traffic.
The situation worsened as I moved towards Patel Nagar and Shadipur, where roads were choked with vehicles,” he further rued. Commuters were seen incessantly honking and trying to squeeze through whatever little space was available, adding to the chaos. The traffic situation was similar in Peeragarhi and Old Rohtak Road, where vehicular movement was severely affected, Singh added.
Heavy traffic was also witnessed in the Sardar Patel Marg area near ITO. Similarly, there was dense traffic near the Ghazipur border on the Delhi–Meerut Expressway. The congestion brought vehicular movement to a near standstill, with vehicles crawling at a snail’s pace and long queues stretching across major roads.
From major flyovers and arterial roads to busy intersections and bustling commercial hubs, traffic congestion was reported at prominent locations.
In south Delhi, the Ghitorni market witnessed heavy traffic as shoppers flocked to the area for festive purchases. Similar congestion was reported on the stretch from the IIT flyover to SDA Market, as well as on the road near Saket Metro Station towards Maidan Garhi. Further, a blaze that erupted in a car showroom in the MB Road area of Saidulajab near the Saket metro station, which affected traffic flow there.
Snarl-ups were also reported at Anuvrat Marg, Lala Lajpat Rai Marg, and adjoining arterial roads. The stretch opposite Bharat Mandapam also experienced traffic snarls, with commuters facing difficulties navigating through the rush.
Traffic police personnel were deployed to regulate vehicular movement. They also requested motorists to remain patient, and follow diversion signs and traffic directions.
78 lakh metro passenger journeys recorded in a day
According to the DMRC, metro ridership has remained high over the past few days. On Thursday, a total of 78.2 lakh passenger journeys were recorded across the network. The ridership figures for the preceding days were also high, with 80.54 lakh passengers recorded on Monday, 78.47 lakh on Tuesday and 79.22 lakh logged on Wednesday.