First rain paralyses traffic, commuters stranded for hours

Widespread rainfall accompanied by thunderstorm in early hours of Friday brought major traffic snarls across the city, leaving commuters stranded and vehicles stalled on waterlogged roads. Office-goers faced severe delays as the traffic police struggled to clear fallen trees and decongest main routes well into the afternoon.

The heavy rain led to flooding at key junctions, severely disrupting traffic during morning peak hours. The Delhi-Gurugram Expressway witnessed slow-moving traffic, while major choke points were reported at Hero Honda Chowk, Rajiv Chowk and IFFCO Chowk. Additional congestion was reported from CRPF Chowk, Mata Mandir Road, Old Delhi Road, Khandsa Road, Narsinghpur, Vatika Chowk, Kanhai Chowk, HUDA City Centre, Sector 10, Sector 9 and roads around Sadar Bazar.

While vehicles struggled to cross inundated stretches, pedestrians bore the brunt of the disruption. Some heavy vehicles were stranded for hours in the submerged service lane near Narsinghpur.

“It’s a perennial problem . Roads get submerged every monsoon, but on Friday, in the first rain, all the claims of the district administration fell flat,” said Jeevan Garg, a commuter.

In one incident, a section of the service lane near Shankar Chowk caved in, prompting police to barricade and close part of the road. A similar road cave-in was reported on Southern Peripheral Road, causing additional traffic snarls. In several areas trees had fallenthat further hindered vehicular movement. The traffic police posted advisories on X, urging commuters to exercise caution. “The congestion may take more than usual time to ease. Requesting citizens to follow traffic rules and drive safely,” read the advisory.

Despite the challenges, the Gurugram traffic police received praise for their on-ground response. “The traffic police managed the traffic well and provided immediate relief to the general public by pulling out damaged vehicles from the waterlogged areas,” said Rajesh Mohan, DCP, Traffic.