Traffic congestion on NH-48 on Saturday morning

Gurugram: Traffic snarls were reported on the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway on Saturday morning due to the vehicular movement of G20 delegates from Leela Hotel towards Hero Honda Chowk

Published on: Mar 5, 2023, 00:10:15 IST

By Leena Dhankhar

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Gurugram: Traffic snarls were reported on the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway on Saturday morning due to the vehicular movement of G20 delegates from Leela Hotel towards Hero Honda Chowk. Commuters alleged that they were stuck for at least 30 minutes between the defunct Sirhaul toll plaza and Leela Hotel.

Gurugram, India-March 04, 2023: Traffic congestion at National Highway-48 near Ambience Mall, in Gurugram, India, on Saturday, 04 March 2023. (Photo by Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)

However, traffic police officers said they had stopped the traffic movement only for 10 minutes as the G20 delegates were being taken to an excursion at the Sultanpur National Park.

Virender Singh Sangwan, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), said they had stopped traffic near Leela Hotel for 10 minutes. “There was no traffic congestion on the National Highway (NH-48) apart from those 10 minutes. We had stopped vehicles at the entry and exit points for only 10 minutes,” he said.

Neetu Raina, a resident of MG Road, said she was stuck near the toll plaza from 8.10am to 8.40am while returning from Delhi. “There was no traffic advisory issued by the police nor they had mentioned anything on their Twitter handle and that is why we assumed that there will be no disruptions on the stretch,” she said.

Ashima Kher, a resident of Sector 56, said that she was returning to the city after dropping a relative to the airport and had to wait for 20 minutes to cross the stretch. “The traffic situation was bad. Vehicles were taking wrong turns towards the flyover and it resulted in traffic congestion,” she said.

At least 1,500 police personnel, including 200 traffic personnel, were deployed on the NH-48 and other key stretches on Saturday morning.

The meeting of the G20 anti-corruption working group concluded in Gurugram on Friday. On Saturday, the foreign delegates were taken to the Sultanpur bird sanctuary and Pratapgarh farms in Jhajjar.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leena Dhankhar
Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More