Delhi comes to standstill due to New Year rush

Heritage and tourist sites were not spared either, as roads around India Gate and the Delhi zoo were also completely blocked

New Delhi: Delhi welcomed the New Year with much zeal and fervour, but alas, its roads were not equipped to handle the increased traffic footfall—leading to logjams and serpentine queues across most of the city, especially in localities hosting temples, as people flocked to start 2026 on a happy note.

Over 50,000 people visited the India Gate, traffic police said. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

Among the worst-affected areas were Kalkaji, Connaught Place, and Jhandewalan, all of which have popular places of worship. Tens of thousands thronged south and central Delhi roads, leaving little space for vehicles, which were out in larger-than-usual numbers, given the occasion.

Heritage and tourist sites were not spared either, as roads around India Gate and the Delhi zoo were also completely blocked for most of the day.

A senior traffic police officer, who did not want to be named, said, “It’s unfair to blame traffic personnel. In reality, we had doubled our presence. Senior officers were also on the streets handling the situation. Traffic was slow because people in large numbers were out to celebrate the New Year by visiting temples and tourist spots. The situation was very much under our control.”

Most stretches across Delhi appeared as crimson streaks on Google Maps, indicating heavy traffic volume and delayed travel time.

Senior police officers said that more than 50,000 people visited India Gate and the area along the Kartavya Path, which, coupled with heavy footfall in and around Connaught Place, gridlocked the C-Hexagon, Ashoka Road, Barakhambha Road, Ring Road, Panchkuian Road and Minto Road. The Delhi zoo, meanwhile, recorded a footfall of 25,111 on the day.

Police said they had to impose restrictions and diversions to tackle the traffic at Connaught Place, and that they had issued advisories in this regard through social media in advance.

Despite the police’s best efforts, the traffic situation in and around Connaught Place remained out of control for a second consecutive day. Restrictions and diversions made little difference, said visitors, who had to trudge through large crowds. Both the outer and inner circles were filled to capacity, as people turned up en masse to shop and revel.

Long snarls were also witnessed on the roads leading to Connaught Place, especially on Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Barakhanbha Road, Minto Road, Panchkuian Road, Janpath and Sandad Marg.

Even as police officers said they had deployed the maximum number of personnel possible at Connaught Place and adjoining roads, local traders said that the police were only interested in prosecuting traffic offenders, and not in regulating movement on roads.

Atul Bhargava, the president of the New Delhi Traders Association, said, “Parking on roads around Connaught Place, especially by commercial vehicles, such as cabs and autos, is a menace, as it shows that drivers of such vehicles have no fear of law. Businesses of traders in Connaught Place on two important days are also impacted because police personnel force them to shut their shops by 7pm.”

South Delhi, which is a hub of temples, came to a standstill from morning, as people took to the roads in large numbers. Vehicles moved at a snail’s pace until late evening.

The unprecedented rush was driven by large crowds heading to the Kalkaji temple, ISKCON Temple and Lotus Temple—three major religious and tourist landmarks that are located within a short radius of each other. The rush led to traffic snarls on the Outer Ring Road stretch between the Savitri and Modi Mill flyovers.

Motorists reported being stuck for over an hour to cover distances that usually take less than 20 to 30 minutes. “I have not moved more than a few metres in the last 40 minutes,” said Monika Dutta, a commuter stuck near Nehru Place.

Similar traffic congestion was witnessed on roads leading to the Sai Baba temple on Lodhi Road, Chhattarpur temple in Mehrauli in south Delhi, Jhandewalan temple near Karol Bagh in central Delhi, and Khatu Shyam temple in outer Delhi. Commuters said traffic flow on National Highway-44 was also hit.

Motorists were left ruing the conditions and many took to social media to lament about the chaos and seek help from the Delhi Traffic Police in easing the bumper-to-bumper traffic.

“@dtptraffic heavy traffic jam from Nehru Place to Kalkaji Red Light. Please assign someone to clear,” a commuter named Vaibhav posted on X.

The Kalkaji traffic circle inspector responded with a post, “Lakhs of people/devotees are coming to visit Kalka ji mandir, lotus temple and Iskcon temple. Traffic movement is slow. Staff is regulating the movement.”

Another commuter posted, “@dtptraffic traffic approaching Saibaba temple Lodhi Road should be diverted before they reach the temple. There is utter chaos there ! Very poor planning by the traffic police.”

Several Metro stations in central Delhi also recorded heavy crowds on Wednesday, with heavy footfall especially at the Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan, Patel Chowk, Rajiv Chowk, Akshardham, Khan Market and Pragati stations, given their proximity to places of worship and tourist spots.