Some of the areas that saw waterlogging and heavy traffic jams included Rajghat, Mandi House, India Gate, ITO, localities near Yamuna Khadar, Yamuna Main Bazaar, Geeta Colony and Shahdara.
Traffic towards the airport at Mahipalpur and near Dhaula Kuan was also hit.”A few arterial roads near ITO, Dhaula Kuan, Shahdara and Mahipalpur remained clogged due to waterlogging, which caused traffic to move slowly. We had ensured additional deployment. In some areas where signals had stopped functioning, traffic had to be regulated manually. At some locations, vehicles broke down, causing a blockade. Cranes were kept on standby in affected areas to clear carriageways,” said a senior police officer.
“We were giving real-time updates on social media. Complaints on Twitter were also resolved by our staff. By evening, waterlogging receded and hence, traffic-related woes of commuters also went down,” the officer added.
Heavy traffic was witnessed at Dwarka-Najafgarh Road, Rohtak Road, Peergarghi Chowk and Mukarba Chowk during the peak hours. Police said DDMA, MCD and fire services were roped in to help streamline the traffic at these busy intersections. Greater Kailash, Mathura Road, Pandara Road, Akshardham, Bhairon Marg and KG Marg also witnessed heavy traffic disruptions during the day.
One of the commuters said he travelled from Noida to Palam, which took him close to 2 hours. “Even during peak hours on usual days, it takes maximum an hour, but the traffic situation was at its worst today. Police were deployed, but they were unable to handle the situation,” he claimed.
Another office goer who was driving from Dwarka to Connaught Place said he had to park his car at a metro station and then take a metro ride because roads were flooded.
Meanwhile, temporary traffic restrictions near Pragati Maidan for the inauguration of the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre on Wednesday also affected the movement of vehicles on Mathura Road for a while.