Traffic jams were witnessed across Delhi, especially in south Delhi, as rain lashed the national Capital on Monday leading to water logging in several areas. To add to commuters' woes, the entire inner circle of Connaught Place was closed for traffic due to Yoga Day preparations leading to massive snarls in the outer circle and all leading roads.
"I was stuck in the outer circle for around half an hour. While Traffic Police officials were present at the scene, there was little that they could do," said an exasperated commuter Anuj Srivastava.
Nona Walia, another commuter who was stuck at PVR Rivoli intersection for over 45 minutes, said, "My 9-kilometre journey which normally takes 25 minutes was covered today in two hours."
A traffic official said the entire inner circle of the Connaught Place and all radial roads leading from the outer circle to the inner circle were closed for traffic due to preparations for the International Yoga Day. This led to an unusual huge rush of vehicles in the outer circle completely choking the whole circle. The ripple effect was observed in all the leading roads which saw long trail of vehicles stretching up to a kilometer.
Apart from the Connaught Place, commuters also complained of being stuck in traffic jam for hours in different parts of south Delhi after the Capital witnessed light showers which led to water logging in several areas. Heavy traffic due to water logging was reported at Moolchand, Ashram, AIIMS, Malviya Nagar, Yusuf Sarai Market, Adhchini, Mahatma Gandhi Road and nearby areas. long traffic jam was also reported on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway.
Delhi Traffic Police said heavy traffic was also reported at 100 foota Road T Point and Mahatma Gandhi Road at around 2.30 pm due to water logging.
"Traffic is heavy on both carriageways from Maharani Bagh to Ashram due to water logging… Traffic is heavy from Moolchand towards Ashram due to water logging at South Extension… Obstruction in traffic in the carriageway from Moolchand towards AIIMS due to breakdown of a DTC Bus near South Extension," Delhi Traffic Police said in a series of tweets on Monday afternoon.
It was only a matter of time that the traffic chaos spilled over to all the nearby roads as people tried to take alternate routes. A cascading effect was seen and the whole south Delhi was turned into a choc-o-bloc with bumper to bumper traffic.
"I was stuck in traffic for around 45 minutes to cover a distance of barely 4-5 kilometre. It is a recurring thing. Whenever there is rain, traffic gets messy in Delhi. I fear what would happen when the full-fledged monsoon hits the city," said Sahil Gulati, a resident of East of Kailash.