The commuters had a harrowing time while reaching their destinations as they were stuck in traffic near India Gate in central Delhi on Tuesday after vehicular movement was affected due to a full dress rehearsal for the Republic Day parade.
Heavy traffic was also reported on Delhi-Gurgaon border and the people took to X reporting about the bumper to bumper jam on the stretch.
One of the commuters posted on X his worst experience on the Jaipur-Delhi Highway. Another mentioned that huge jam from Hero Honda Chowk to Delhi road on NH8.
The traffic was affected on C-Hexagon, Ashoka Road and Rafi Marg near Krishi Bhawan. The traffic police personnel were deployed on these routes to manage the movement of vehicles.
The traffic was also affected on Outer Ring Road and near the Pragati Maidan tunnel, Sarai Kale Khan, ITO, near Zoo red light traffic, Majnu Ka Tila and Ajmeri Gate flyover from Paharganj to Ajmeri Gate etc.
Long jam on Barapullah flyover and whole ring road from AIIMS to Noida toll road due to caving in of road at Noida toll, one of the users said.
Meanwhile, the traffic police also took to X cautioning the commuters about the traffic situation near DND Toll Booth.
“Traffic is affected in the carriageway from Barapullah towards DND Toll Booth due to road cave-in at DND Loop. Kindly plan your journey accordingly,” it wrote on X. The motorists had a harrowing time getting to their destinations and many reached late.
A woman, who was coming from south Delhi to Connaught Place, said that she got stuck in heavy traffic near Kartavya Path. “It takes me around 20 minutes to reach Connaught Place but today it took me around 35 to 40 minutes,” she said.
Some commuters said that there were long queues at the entry and exit gates of the Central Secretariat metro station as many tried to ditch the traffic. Delhi Police had issued an advisory on Monday informing the people about road closures in central Delhi for the full dress rehearsal.
The rehearsal began at 10:30 am from Vijay Chowk and passed via Kartavya Path, C-Hexagon, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose statue roundabout, Tilak Marg, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg and Netaji Subhas Marg before culminating at the Red Fort. To facilitate smooth passage of the parade, the traffic movement on Kartavya Path, from Vijay Chowk to India Gate, was stopped at 6 pm on Monday. The stretch reopened after the dress rehearsal was completed on Tuesday. The advisory said commuters are requested to plan their journeys in advance and avoid the parade route from 9.30 am to 1 pm, according to the advisory.
Metro services will remain available from all stations during the dress rehearsal. However, boarding and de-boarding from the Central Secretariat and the Udyog Bhawan stations will not be permitted from 5 am till 12 pm, it stated.
Though no restrictions have been imposed on traffic movement from north Delhi to New Delhi railway station or Old Delhi railway station yet, the advisory has asked people to plan their journeys in advance to avoid possible delays.
The movement of city buses will be curtailed at Park Street/Udyan Marg, Aram Bagh Road (Paharganj), the Kamla Market roundabout, Delhi Secretariat (IG Stadium), Pragati Maidan (Bhairon Road), Hanuman Mandir (Yamuna Bazar), Mori Gate, ISBT-Kashmere Gate, ISBT-Sarai Kale Khan and Tis Hazari Court, it stated.
Buses from Ghaziabad bound for Shivaji Stadium will take National Highway-24, Ring Road and terminate at Bhairon Road. Those coming from National Highway-24 will take the right turn on Road No 56 and terminate at ISBT-Anand Vihar, the advisory said.
Buses to Wazirabad Bridge from Ghaziabad will be diverted at Mohan Nagar towards Bhopra Chungi.
According to the advisory issued on Monday, flying of sub-conventional aerial platforms such as paragliders, paramotors, hang gliders, unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned aircraft systems, microlight aircraft, remotely piloted aircraft, hot air balloons, small size powered aircraft, quadcopters or para jumping from aircraft are prohibited over the National Capital Territory of Delhi till February 15.
The advisory requested motorists to observe traffic rules and follow directions of police personnel deployed at intersections.
