Chaos reigned on Delhi roads on Monday as Diwali festivities reached its peak. Roads were chock-a-block for throughout the day, said commuters, who got stuck in traffic for hours.
To add to the chaos, incidents of breakdown of buses were also reported from various parts of the city. Major traffic jams were witnessed in and around Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Panchkuian Road, Ashoka Road, Akbar Road, Raisina Road, Rafi Marg, Sikandra Road, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Anand Vihar, and nearby areas.
Also, heavy traffic was witnessed on the NH8 that connects Delhi with Gurgaon. Parts of Ring Road, Aurbindo Marg, Mahatma Gandhi Marg too saw heavy traffic.
Besides, traffic gridlock was witnessed in some of the major markets of the city, including Connaught Place, lajpat Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Karol Bagh, Sadar Bazaar, etc. Many shoppers complained of spending more time in the traffic than in the markets.
Traffic officials said because of Dhanteras falling on Monday, the volume of traffic was much higher than usual, which led to heavy traffic jams.
The official said to ensure smooth flow of traffic, the traffic police officials cleared the roads by removing vehicles parked in haphazard manner by shoppers.
He said extra personnel were deployed to ensure smooth traffic. A set of ten cameras has been installed at the ITO and AIIMS intersections to monitor real time traffic during the Diwali rush. A senior traffic official said while the cameras with 360 degree view are being installed at two intersections on a trial basis, the same would be installed in 50 locations to monitor traffic situation in the city and to penalise those who violate traffic rules so that people don’t get stuck in traffic jam for hours that too on Diwali.