Dense fog slows traffic in Gurugram, commuters delayed
Commuters faced delays on Sohna Road, Golf Course Extension Road, the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway, and the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR)
Dense fog blanketed Gurugram on Wednesday morning, reducing visibility and bringing traffic to a standstill on several major roads for nearly two hours. The Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway was the worst affected, particularly the stretch between Kherki Daula toll plaza and Vatika Chowk and the defunct Sirhaul toll plaza to Iffco Chowk, traffic police said.
The foggy conditions also caused an accident in Sector 102/103, where an SUV collided with an electric pole. No injuries were reported, but the vehicle sustained damage. The pole, standing unattended in the middle of the road after construction by the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), has been a persistent hazard.
“Amid the season’s first thick fog, a car hit the pole due to low visibility. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but GMDA and HVPNL must urgently relocate this pole to prevent fatalities,” said Sunil Sareen, a resident of Imperial Garden in Sector 102 and deputy convenor of the Dwarka Expressway Group Development Authority (DXPGDA).
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On the traffic front, commuters faced delays on Sohna Road, Golf Course Extension Road, the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway, and the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR).
“It took me over two hours to cover a route that usually takes 30 minutes. Driving was extremely difficult in such dense fog,” said Vinod Sharma, a resident of DLF 5.
Kanchan Lakra, who travels daily to Cyber City, added, “Visibility on Golf Course Extension Road was almost zero. I had to drive at 20 km/h, and even then, it felt risky. My entire schedule was disrupted.”
Traffic police advised commuters to exercise caution, maintain low speeds, and use fog lights. Heavy vehicles were urged to avoid peak-hour routes to ease congestion.
Vikas Kumar, assistant commissioner of police (traffic headquarters), said that additional deployment of traffic police personnel has been made near key roundabouts and toll plaza even looking at the poor visibility and fog.
“Our deployment in normal times remains from 8am to 8pm. But right now, deployment has also been for the whole night. We have started this deployment from November 1 anticipating that visibility will decrease sharply soon which happened on Tuesday night,” he said.
Kumar said that deployment of traffic police personnel has been deployed at Sirhaul toll plaza, Shankar chowk, Rajiv Chowk, Manesar, Bandhwari toll plaza and several other locations with reflector, lights and other safety equipment.
“Personnel on ambulances and cranes will also remain alert looking at poor visibility to give assistance to police and injured persons in case of any accident,” he added.
Meanwhile, India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said that the fog and poor visibility conditions will continue for now.
“Dense fog had started appearing in western Punjab four days back and now it has spread up to Uttar Pradesh along with covering Gurugram and neighbouring areas,” an IMD official said.
They said that the foggy conditions will persist for the next four days per their forecast and the minimum temperature may also dip sharply.
The Gurugram Police, in collaboration with civic authorities, assured citizens that all necessary measures are being taken to ensure road safety during the foggy season.