Signal outage causes daily jams at two Sohna Elevated Corridor junctions

Traffic signals at Damdama Chowk and Chungi No.2 have been defunct since October 5. Police blame poor maintenance; civic body promises repairs soon.

Two of the busiest junctions on the Gurugram–Alwar Expressway, commonly known as the Sohna Elevated Corridor, are witnessing frequent congestion due to poor traffic management and non-functional signals, officials and residents said on Sunday. The intersections at Damdama Chowk and Chungi No. 2, both connecting to Sohna Road, remain heavily jammed during peak hours, particularly for vehicles heading towards Gurugram.

(Representative image) Residents say jams near Damdama Chowk and Chungi No.2 worsen daily. Municipal Council Sohna says vehicles that damaged poles have been traced. (HT Archive)

District officials said the two traffic signals have been out of order since October 5 after being damaged by motorists. “We are aware of a signal problem causing traffic snarls in the area. Complaints in this regard were forwarded to the municipal corporation responsible for maintenance of signals,” a zonal traffic police official said, requesting anonymity.

Notably, the Municipal Council Sohna is responsible for maintaing civil infrastructure in the sub-division, including traffic poles.

Residents said the problem has worsened over the past month. Amit Singh, a local commuter, said congestion extends up to 500 metres from the intersections. “Motorists who are in a rush always flock to the area, while trying to get passed through the stretch over others. We see jams here every day at different intervals, starting from 9am to 11am and then from 5pm to 7pm,” he said.

Traffic police personnel deployed on the stretch said they have repeatedly requested the Municipal Council Sohna to fix the damaged signals. “We have verbally informed municipal authorities several times to order repair work and identify offenders who broke the signals,” an officer said.

In response, Rajpal Khatana, special duty officer at Municipal Council Sohna, said action is being taken to restore the lights. “Vehicles which rammed into traffic lights were identified by scanning CCTV cameras installed nearby. A notice will be issued to their drivers on Monday. All necessary steps are being taken to ensure smooth traffic flow at the intersections,” Khatana said.