Heavy downpour brings back chaotic Delhi-uge, Gurujam

NEW DELHI: US secretary of state John Kerry and Delhi lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung were among thousands of commuters who were stuck in traffic after a smart spell

NEW DELHI: US secretary of state John Kerry and Delhi lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung were among thousands of commuters who were stuck in traffic after a smart spell of rain in the national capital and Gurgaon on Monday.

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The traffic holdup brought back memories of last month’s deluge in Gurgaon, where some areas went 6ft under water then.

Kerry, who arrived here for an Indo-US strategic and commercial dialogue, was stuck in a monster gridlock near the airport. He was on his way to a hotel in Chanakyapuri in south Delhi.

Miles-long snarls were reported from several locations in Delhi, which received 21.6mm of rain during the day.

A traffic cop said the worst chaos was recorded during the evening rush hour when people were heading home from work. In south Delhi, the situation aggravated after two DTC buses broke down near the busy Ashram flyover, slowing down traffic.

“Roads were waterlogged and there were road restrictions because of VIP movements in central Delhi. These added to the chaos,” the officer said.

Several roads were out of bounds for general traffic in the afternoon as Myanmar president Htin Kyaw visited city landmarks.