Commuters across Delhi and nearby cities faced hours-long traffic jams on Thursday as Diwali rush turned major roads into red zones on Google Maps.
The city’s main stretches, including Outer Ring Road, Ring Road, Mathura Road between Pragati Maidan and Badarpur border, Aurobindo Marg, Barapullah flyover, and the Delhi-Noida Direct (DND) Flyway, were completely choked.
Massive traffic jam at Delhi Rohtak Road Nangloi metro station onwards…..no DP traffic official and stuck for 31 mins …anr 28 mins on go. @DELHITRAFFIC1 @DCPWestDelhi @CPDelhi #delhikajaam
— Madhu Saini (@Justice_Madhu) October 16, 2025
The congestion extended to Delhi-Meerut Expressway and major routes towards Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Faridabad, replicating the severe gridlocks seen a day earlier.
#WATCH | Delhi | Traffic congestion on Tolstoy Road at Sansad Marg ahead of the Diwali festival on 21 October. pic.twitter.com/l1FNKCA36b
— ANI (@ANI) October 16, 2025
Traffic Chaos Grips Entire NCR
The festive season has worsened traffic across the National Capital Region. Even as Delhi remains infamous for its traffic during peak hours, the Diwali rush has brought near standstill movement throughout the day.
Long queues of vehicles, honking, and delayed commutes were reported from all corners of Delhi, Noida, and Gurugram. Google Maps showed most arterial roads in red, indicating heavy congestion across all entry and exit routes to the capital.
STORY | Delhi Police cancels leaves of traffic personnel to manage pre-festive congestion
As traffic in several parts of the city comes to a crawl amid the pre-Diwali rush, the Delhi Police cancelled leaves of all traffic personnel to handle the situation.
READ |… pic.twitter.com/qTishTykjD
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 16, 2025
Social media platform X (formerly Twitter) was filled with complaints from commuters stuck for hours. “I’ve never seen traffic like this in Delhi! Been stuck in the same spot for two hours. Nothing’s moving,” one user wrote.
#WATCH | Traffic congestion at IIT flyover amid the Diwali rush in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/1A21DyerLQ
— ANI (@ANI) October 16, 2025
Some users shared memes expressing frustration, while others questioned how every part of Delhi could be gridlocked simultaneously. “This seems like a conspiracy to trouble residents of Delhi/NCR,” one post read.
Delhi Police Cancels Leaves of Traffic Personnel
Responding to the massive congestion, the Delhi Police cancelled leaves of all traffic personnel and deployed additional staff to manage the situation.
VIDEO | Traffic jams continue in parts of Delhi ahead of Diwali.
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvqRQz)#Delhi pic.twitter.com/V1RiMBo2Gn
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 16, 2025
“Personnel on motorcycles have been deployed and leaves have been cancelled. We are fully prepared to manage the rush and ensure smoother movement in the coming days,” said Ajay Chaudhary, Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic), as quoted by PTI. The department also urged people to plan travel in advance and use public transport to avoid long delays.
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Swastika Sruti is a Senior Sub Editor at NewsX Digital with 5 years of experience shaping stories that matter. She loves tracking politics- national and global trends, and never misses a chance to dig deeper into policies and developments. Passionate about what’s happening around us, she brings sharp insight and clarity to every piece she works on. When not curating news, she’s busy exploring what’s next in the world of public interest. You can reach her at [swastika.newsx@gmail.com]
