Rush hour traffic gets caught in gridlock

NEW DELHI: The city came to a grinding halt after a storm and thundershowers uprooted over a 100 trees in various localities blocking arterial roads during rush hour on Friday evening. Adding to the woes of commuters, snag in Metro operations left hundreds stranded at bus stops.
Major snarls were reported from India Gate, Connaught Place, Minto Road, Mandi House, Purana Qila, Lajpat Nagar flyover, Aurobindo Marg, AIIMS flyover towards Hyatt, Nizamuddin, Janakpuri, Laxmi Nagar and Azadpur.Traffic jams were also reported from flyovers in west Delhi after more than 40 trees fell on these roads.
Police said that traffic came to a standstill near Hari Nagar towards Lajwanti Chowk, Hari Nagar Ghanta Ghar, Preet Vihar, Madhuban Chowk, Nala Road, Vikas Marg, Oberai flyover, in front of Regal Cinema, Club Road, between Raja Park and Rani Bagh, Station Road towards Kirbi Place, from Saket Court towards BRT and on Mathura Road near Sunder Nagar traffic signal. Major jams were reported at ITO after a tree was uprooted near Bal Bhawan. The Ring Road too was choked after several trees fell and a noise barrier collapsed on the RTR flyover.
Central Delhi came to a halt as Metro services on the blue line were disrupted following a snag. "I wanted to take the Metro towards Uttam Nagar, but I was stopped at the gates. There was a huge crowd and it was raining, so I had to take shelter at the bus stop," said Aseem Sood, a businessman.
"Commuters started walking on the road in areas around Metro stations on the blue line leading to huge snarls near bus stops," said a senior traffic official. He added that there traffic jams were also reported on roads passing below flyovers two-wheeler riders parked their vehicles there to take shelter from the rain.
Officials added that diversions were made wherever possible, but the roads being used for diversions too were choked. All major roads were blocked by falling trees, therefore diversions had to be made through slip roads and alternate parallels leading to confusion among commuters.
"I have been waiting at India Gate for more than an hour to go towards east Delhi. I don't see a single vehicle moving," said Vidya Sharma, an IT professional. Patients trying to reach hospitals were the worst affected, she added.
By Friday night, traffic police managed to clear most of the roads. However, snarls were reported from parts of south and west Delhi as it took time for civic authorities to remove the fallen trees.