New Delhi: Delhi witnessed heavy traffic congestion at several key stretches on Friday as the city saw increased movement on Raksha Bandhan, with long queues of vehicles reported on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, MB Road, Kalindi Kunj, Pragati Maidan and Akshardham, while the metro also saw a heavy rush of passengers.
The congestion on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, which began before the festival weekend, continued for several hours, with vehicles moving slowly and traffic teams deployed to regulate movement.
Heavy traffic was also reported on MB Road in the Chhatarpur area, with long queues stretching for considerable distances. The Lado Sarai Old MB Road traffic signal also witnessed regular congestion, with commuters raising concerns over buses allegedly jumping red lights and obstructing pedestrians at zebra crossings.
Traffic towards Noida via Akshardham was also affected. “The Akshardham route to Noida was blocked and it took half an hour just to cross the Akshardham flyover. The Laxmi Nagar route was also showing additional travel time,” Bano said.
The Delhi Police issued an advisory stating that increased pedestrian and vehicular movement was expected around Anand Vihar ISBT, Road No. 56, NH-9 and Vikas Marg in view of Raksha Bandhan festival on Thursday and Friday.
Commuters were advised to avoid these stretches wherever possible, plan their journeys in advance and follow diversion signs and directions issued by traffic personnel. The Delhi-Meerut Expressway was particularly congested, with commuters describing their journeys as a nightmare.
Mukesh Kumar, a Noida resident, said the expressway beyond Akshardham towards Meerut was almost completely choked. “Staying on the road for around two-and-a-half hours was a nightmare. I generally reach home within an hour, but today the situation was completely different,” he said.
A similar situation was reported at Kashmere Gate. Commuter Bablu Chand said he remained stuck for around 40 minutes while travelling from Rajghat towards Kashmere Gate. “Reaching home became a task for me. The traffic was huge and, after around 42 minutes, I somehow managed to take a left turn towards Civil Lines,” Chand said.
