As traffic in several parts of the city comes to a crawl amid the pre-Diwali rush, the Delhi police on Thursday cancelled leaves of all traffic personnel to handle the situation.
As the festive season grips the city, major intersections remain gridlocked, with key market areas and routes witnessing bumper-to-bumper jams.
"Maximum deployment has been made across the city. Personnel on motorcycles have been deployed and leaves have been cancelled. We are fully prepared to manage the rush and ensure smoother movement in the coming days," special commissioner of police (Traffic) Ajay Chaudhary said.
This week, social media was flooded with posts from frustrated commuters stuck in jams in the city.
"Mangolpuri S Block Chowk, massive traffic jam for the last 1.5 hours. No traffic or Delhi Police personnel here," one user wrote.
Another post said, "Army chief's convoy is stuck in Dhaula Kuan jam. This place is a traffic sinkhole. Something must be done urgently."
New Delhi is gridlocked for the second consecutive day. Where is the traffic management even in these VIP zones? a user commented. Commuters reported that otherwise smooth stretches were congested throughout the day.
Many shared pictures of vehicles crawling or standing still near Connaught Place, Rajpath, ITO, and key roads leading to Chandni Chowk, Karol Bagh, and Khan Market. Markets across Delhi, including Chandni Chowk, Lajpat Nagar, Sarojini Nagar and Karol Bagh, saw surging crowds that spilled onto the nearby roads. Traffic gridlocks stretched for kilometres, and travel times doubled as vehicles crawled through narrow lanes. -- PTI