Delhi saw widespread traffic chaos on Friday as the Dhanteras shopping rush brought large parts of the national capital to a near standstill, with bumper-to-bumper traffic, kilometres-long vehicle queues, and commuters stranded for hours on several arterial roads, flyovers and market stretches.
From North and South Delhi to Central and East Delhi, motorists struggled to navigate congested roads, with vehicles barely moving at several intersections and even short journeys turning into prolonged commutes. Congestion intensified as shoppers headed to jewellery stores, shopping centres and traditional markets to buy gold, silver, utensils, clothes and other festive essentials ahead of Diwali.
In West Delhi, the stretch between Madhuban Chowk and Netaji Subhash Place via Peeragarhi witnessed heavy congestion. Old Rohtak Road also remained crowded, while commuters travelling from Patel Nagar towards Shadipur faced considerable delays. Traffic movement was similarly affected around major commercial stretches in the area.
South Delhi was among the worst-affected parts of the city, with congestion reported on roads around AIIMS, the stretch connecting South Delhi to MG Road and the Delhi-Gurugram corridor. The NH-48 also witnessed heavy vehicular movement, with traffic queues building up along important stretches. The Ashram intersection, Savitri Cinema crossing and roads around AIIMS remained particularly congested.
The situation was equally difficult in Central Delhi, where several important roads witnessed slow movement. Heavy traffic was reported on Prithviraj Road, Rafi Marg, Sansad Marg, Janpath, KG Marg, Barakhamba Road, Minto Road, Tilak Marg and Panchkuian Road. Congestion also affected Connaught Circle, Tolstoy Road, Sikandra Road, Mandi House, Copernicus Marg and the roads surrounding Patel Chowk.
The Barapullah elevated road witnessed considerable traffic pressure, while vehicles also moved slowly through the Moolchand underpass on Ring Road, with congestion extending towards AIIMS. The ITO intersection, one of the city’s busiest traffic junctions, also witnessed long queues of vehicles.
In North Delhi, the festive rush was particularly visible around Chandni Chowk and Sadar Bazar, two of the capital’s busiest traditional shopping destinations. Large numbers of shoppers heading to the markets to purchase jewellery, utensils, decorative items and household goods added to the pressure on adjoining roads.
Narrow market lanes, heavy pedestrian movement and vehicles parked along roadsides further complicated traffic management.
Commuters in East Delhi also faced difficulties, particularly around the intersection of Patparganj Road and Nirman Vihar Metro Station Road on Vikas Marg. Wrong-side driving by motorists was also flagged as an additional problem in the area. Hauz Khas traffic signal witnessed slow movement extending towards IIT Delhi and R K Puram Metro Station.
The festive rush was not restricted to shopping destinations. Roads around railway stations and interstate bus terminals also witnessed increased vehicular movement as people travelled to their hometowns for Diwali and the upcoming festive holidays.
The Delhi Traffic Police had announced special traffic arrangements around Anand Vihar ISBT and adjoining transport hubs from November 5 to 15 in view of the expected rush during Dhanteras, Diwali, Bhai Dooj and Chhath Puja.
The scale of festive shopping provided an indication of the increased movement across commercial areas. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) estimated that business across the country on Dhanteras could exceed Rs 1.25 lakh crore.
According to the trade body’s estimates, gold and silver sales alone crossed Rs 66,000 crore, with Delhi’s bullion markets accounting for more than Rs 10,000 crore.