5 days on, Kanwar rush, heavy rain, traffic brings Delhi to standstill

Commuters in Delhi experienced severe traffic jams due to Kanwar pilgrims, rain, and temple rush for Shivratri.

Commuters across Delhi faced another day of extensive traffic jams on Tuesday as movement of Kanwar pilgrims, traffic diversions, multiple spells of rain and a rush of devotees heading to temples for Shivratri combined to bring several parts of the city to a standstill.

Tuesday was the fifth consecutive day of widespread traffic chaos caused by the combination of rain and the increasing movement of pilgrims. (Sakib Ali/HT Phot)

The worst gridlock was reported on roads affected by restrictions to facilitate the movement of Kanwariyas, including the Delhi-Meerut Expressway and Grand Trunk (GT) Road, which connect the Capital with Uttar Pradesh.

Fifth consecutive day of traffic, rain

Tuesday was the fifth consecutive day of widespread traffic chaos caused by the combination of rain and the increasing movement of pilgrims.

The disruption, traffic officials aware of Tuesday’s developments said, was compounded by waterlogging, vehicle breakdowns and faulty traffic signals. Roads around major temples also witnessed heavy congestion as devotees turned up for Shivratri celebrations.

On CV Raman Marg in New Friends Colony, a partially functional signal near Mata Mandir disrupted traffic towards Okhla and Sukhdev Vihar Metro station. Heavy congestion was also reported around Bhairav Temple near Pragati Maidan due to the influx of devotees.

Around 2,000 traffic personnel deployed

The traffic chaos persisted despite the deployment of around 2,000 traffic personnel and multiple advisories issued by the Delhi Traffic Police ahead of the Kanwar Yatra. The situation has deteriorated since August 8, when the movement of Kanwariyas began to swell, and worsened between Sunday and Tuesday as large numbers of pilgrims entered Delhi through the Uttar Pradesh borders.

The Noida-Delhi route via Kalindi Kunj and the Ghaziabad-Delhi routes through Ghazipur, Maharajpur, UP Gate, Apsara and Bhopura were among the worst affected due to restrictuions to facilitate Kanwariya movement. During the morning peak, motorists crawled through serpentine jams stretching one to two kilometres, with congestion spilling over to alternate routes.

“The link to board Delhi-Meerut Expressway towards Delhi from Ghaziabad has been closed since Sunday using concrete blocks and barriers, due to which motorists are left with no option but to use the already jam-packed adjacent NH-9 and NH-24. It took me nearly 40 minutes to cross a kilometre-long traffic jam at the Ghazipur border,” said 27-year-old Archana Adhikari, who was travelling from Indirapuram to South Extension with her husband.

“Facilitating Kanwariyas by providing them free passage on the expressway is understandable, but it should not come at the cost of the misery of thousands of other commuters,” she said.

Commuters also questioned enforcement on roads where dedicated lanes had been created for the Kanwar movement. They alleged that Kanwariyas travelling on foot and in vehicles fitted with boom boxes and disco lights were often seen using space earmarked for general traffic.

Several commuters said police personnel deployed along the Kanwar routes appeared to do little to prevent such violations, while some pilgrims were able to breach designated routes and pass through residential neighbourhoods.

“The enforcement has been largely cosmetic, as police personnel are standing like spectators and look helpless when it comes to regulating the movement of kanwariyas travelling in trucks, four-wheelers and on two-wheelers. When we ask the personnel to act, they give excuses and cite recent and previous examples of violence by kanwariyas,” said Mohammad Shahrukh, who was driving towards Sainik Farms.

The traffic problems were not limited to east Delhi and the border routes. In south Delhi, severe congestion was reported on Ring Road between Bhikaji Cama Place and South Extension and between Sarai Kale Khan and Lajpat Nagar; multiple stretches of the Outer Ring Road, particularly between Munirka and Modi Mill flyover; Mathura Road between Ashram Chowk and Badarpur; Kalindi Kunj Road towards Jasola and Badarpur; Mehrauli-Badarpur Road; Aurobindo Marg; and Sardar Patel Marg.

Social media was also flooded with complaints about the congestion. “Very Heavy traffic jam on Lal Sai Marg from C1 Red Light-Mata Channan Devi Hospital towards Bharti College. No movement of vehicles. Even no way for emergency vehicles,” a commuter posted on X.

On Tuesday afternoon, traffic on the Delhi-Gurugram route near Mahipalpur was severely affected after local villagers blocked the stretch between the NSG traffic signal and Terminal 3 following a road crash in which a woman was killed after being hit by a luxury car.

The Delhi Traffic Police issued an advisory on social media around 3.46pm, informing commuters about the obstruction and suggesting alternate routes. Around 5pm, it said traffic movement had been restored on the affected stretches.