Gold glitter and gridlock Dhanteras shopping brings Delhi roads to a standstill

     New Delhi, Nov 6 (PTI) The rush to buy gold, jewellery, utensils and meet relatives on Dhanteras came at a price for shoppers in the national capital on Friday, with bumper-to-bumper traffic, vehicles barely moving and roads leading to markets choked with cars and two-wheelers.

    As the rush for festive purchases picked up through the day, roads leading to shopping centres, jewellery stores and busy markets witnessed heavy congestion, with vehicles moving at a snail's pace and motorists struggling to make their way through crowded stretches.

    In several areas, traffic was so dense that vehicles remained stuck for extended periods, with even short-distance journeys turning into lengthy commutes. Cars, two-wheelers, autorickshaws and delivery vehicles jostled for space, while honking added to the din of the festive rush.

    The congestion was not limited to market areas, with several arterial roads, flyovers and major intersections also witnessing heavy traffic as people travelled across the city for Dhanteras shopping, Diwali preparations and other festive engagements.

    Heavy traffic was reported on the Peeragarhi stretch, particularly between Madhuban Chowk and Netaji Subhash Place, while the Old Rohtak Road also witnessed congestion. Patel Nagar towards Shadipur was among the other stretches where commuters faced delays.

    In South Delhi, traffic movement was affected on the AIIMS road, while commuters also reported congestion on the stretch connecting South Delhi to MG Road. The NH-48 and Delhi-Gurugram road witnessed heavy traffic, with vehicles queuing up along busy stretches.

    The Ashram intersection, Savitri Cinema crossing and roads around AIIMS also witnessed congestion, with commuters facing delays while navigating through the busy intersections.

    The festive rush was particularly visible around some of the city's busiest commercial areas, including Chandni Chowk and Sadar Bazar, where shoppers thronged markets to purchase jewellery, utensils, clothes, decorative items and other festive essentials.

    With people heading to markets in large numbers, vehicles struggled to move through narrow roads and market approaches, with parking-related congestion further adding to the pressure on surrounding stretches.

    ITO also witnessed heavy traffic, with commuters reporting slow movement as vehicles piled up around the busy intersection.

    Central Delhi, too, saw considerable traffic pressure, with congestion reported on Prithviraj Road, Swarg Ram Marg, Bharatiya Marg, Rafi Marg, Sansad Marg, Janpath Road, K G Marg, Barakhamba Road, Panchkuian Road, Minto Road, Tilak Marg and Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg.

    Traffic was also affected on Mahatma Gandhi Road, Indraprastha Marg, Subhas Chandra Bose Marg, Asaf Ali Road, Bangla Sahib Road, Bhai Veer Singh Marg, Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Connaught Circle, Tolstoy Road, Sikandra Road, Mandi House and Copernicus Marg.

    Several commuters also flagged congestion outside the Shangri-La Hotel, around Patel Chowk, Lodhi Road and Bishambhar Das Marg.    

    Barapullah Flyover witnessed heavy congestion, with motorists reporting prolonged delays. Traffic was also affected at the Moolchand underpass on Ring Road, with congestion extending towards AIIMS.

    In East Delhi, the intersection of Patparganj Road and Nirman Vihar Metro Station Road on Vikas Marg witnessed heavy traffic, with commuters also raising concerns over wrong-side driving adding to the congestion.

    Hauz Khas traffic signal witnessed slow movement extending towards IIT Delhi and R K Puram Metro Station, while traffic was also affected on Parliament Street, from the police station towards Palika Kendra.

    The festive rush appeared to intensify as the day progressed, with commuters taking to social media platform X to flag long queues, prolonged waiting times and difficulties in navigating roads leading to shopping destinations.

    Several users complained that journeys which would ordinarily take a few minutes were stretching into hours, with vehicles barely moving amid the rush. Others flagged the difficulty of finding clear passage through crowded intersections and roads lined with vehicles heading towards markets.

    For many commuters, the journey to make last-minute festive purchases appeared to be taking almost as long as the shopping itself, as the Dhanteras rush spilled over from market lanes onto adjoining arterial roads.

    With Diwali approaching, the combination of festive shopping, increased movement of private vehicles and crowds heading to commercial areas added to the traffic pressure across the national capital.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)