Traffic movement in central Delhi on Tuesday was thrown out of gear due to religious processions and restrictions imposed for the visit of US vice-president Joe Biden.
Vehicular movement was slow on Sardar Patel Marg, which connects west and north Delhi with central Delhi. Traffic was also affected on Ashoka Road, Baba Kharak Singh Road, GPO, Kali Bari Marg, Talkatora Stadium, Connaught Place Outer Circle, Windsor Place and Janpath.
"The traffic jam on central Delhi roads was mainly due to the celebration of the birth anniversary of Guru Harkishan Sahib. A large number of devotees started assembling at Gurdwara Rakhabganj and Gurudwara Bangla Sahib since morning, which resulted in congestion on some roads," said Anil Shukla, additional commissioner of police (traffic).
The movement of Biden, who is in Delhi, added to the chaos on SP Marg, said a traffic police officer.
The traffic police on Monday evening had issued advisories on Facebook, asking commuters to avoid Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Ashoka Road and Pt Pant Marg. However, no diversion was imposed.
Many commuters complained about the lack of proper directions on alternative routes and the absence of policemen to manage traffic.
"It took me over two hours to reach Barakhamba from Gurgaon as vehicles crawled on SP Marg around 10.30 am," said Sandeep Sharma, a commuter.
{{/usCountry}}"It took me over two hours to reach Barakhamba from Gurgaon as vehicles crawled on SP Marg around 10.30 am," said Sandeep Sharma, a commuter.
{{/usCountry}}Traffic in and around Dhaula Kuan was also badly hit, said police.