Diwali Rush In Delhi: Commuters Face Heavy Traffic For Hours, Traffic Police Personnel’s Leave Cancelled

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.

The congestion extended to Delhi-Meerut Expressway and major routes towards Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Faridabad, replicating the severe gridlocks seen a day earlier.

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.

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.

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.

“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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