Commuters in Delhi wish they had stayed home as arteries choke

NEW DELHI: Traffic jams choked several major arteries of the city bringing it to a halt following Thursday’s downpour. Police identified 11 points that witnessed waterlogging through the day. Traffic had to be diverted at these places.
Almost all the underpasses across the city, including Tilak bridge, Dhuala Kuan, New Delhi Railway Station, Minto Road, Azad Market railway bridge, Moolchand underpass, Pul Prahladpur underpass, Zakhira underpass and Prembadi underpass, were flooded.At least 26 cars suffered engine damages due to the water flow.
Traffic had to be diverted from stretches like Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, Zakhira and Bhairon Marg due to the heavy rains on Thursday morning. Snarls choked the C-hexagon during the morning peak hours after a tree was uprooted near Delhi high court.
Snarls due to waterlogging were reported at Mathura Road, Outer Ring Road and Mehrauli-Badarpur Road throughout the day. The police control room received more than 200 distress calls regarding accumulation of water on streets.
Traffic moved slowly near Sarai Kale Khan and at the mouth of the Signature Bridge.
The stretch near Pragati Maidan, Ashram and New Friends Colony had slow moving traffic as water had accumulated at the construction sites in these areas. Traffic jams also took place near the IIT-Delhi Campus and Munirka flyover due to waterlogging near another construction site on the way to the airport.
Ankle-deep water at Rao Tula Ram Marg slowed down airport- bound traffic. Major traffic jams occurred near Devli due to waterlogging by the roadside. The movement of vehicles slowed down in areas like Bharthal Chowk on Dwarka Link Road, Wazirabad Road, Apsara roundabout, Mandoli and Rajokri flyover.
Traffic was also affected on NH-24 due to the mayhem at ITO. Low-lying areas on the Ring Road and Outer Ring Road in south Delhi were also severely affected.