Why are Delhi’s traffic jams getting to be so horrid now?

Why are Delhi’s traffic jams getting to be so horrid now?

Flooded roads. Mile-long traffic snarls. Rising tempers. Clueless authorities. And it gets worse after every rain spell.

Take Friday for instance: It took just 15mm of rainfall to bring the national Capital to a standstill. Stuck in traffic jams for several hours, many Delhiites would now think twice before wishing for rain.

“It took me over two hours to get home from ITO to Moti Bagh. The traffic was moving at snail’s pace. It was frustrating after a point. I did not see any traffic official on the route to man vehicle movement,” said Mohini Verma, a chartered accountant.

To make matters worse, parts of the Mehrauli-Gurgaon road caved in, blocking traffic on the entire stretch. In several areas, jams continued even after the roads had dried.

So, who should the commuter blame for his misery? According to traffic experts, government departments responsible for the upkeep of roads are not doing their job.

“These roads were designed years ago when the vehicular population and infrastructure like flyovers, subways, Metros etc were not considered. The responsibility lies with the road maintaining agencies to redesign the roads keeping in mind the drainage system. Improper drainage system not only leads to water accumulation but also damages the surface of the roads leading to cave-ins,” said PK Sarkar, a road planning expert and professor at the School of Planning and Architecture.

At the start of every monsoon, civic agencies out-do each other making tall claims of desilting but resort to passing the buck when the first showers expose their unpreparedness. Fed up, Delhiites are left to vent their anger on fellow commuters.