Delhi-NCR rains: Clogged Gurugram a travel nightmare

GURUGRAM: On Friday, Gurugram received heavy showers in several bouts throughout the day, leaving most important junctions waterlogged and key roads clogged.

In the day, Gurugram reported around 39.4mm of rainfall till late evening, leaving residents marooned their own homes, offices as well as the streets for hours.




A few hours’ showers left major pockets of Udyog Vihar industrial area, stretches near Rajiv Chowk and Signature Towers waterlogged. It also brought traffic to a halt, leaving commuters stranded on most busy roads for hours.

While vehicles heading Delhi moved at a snail’s pace along the NH-8, there was a one-kilometre-long tailback on Gurugram-Faridabad road between 5pm and 8pm. “It took me an hour to drive down from Khusboo Chowk to Valley View Estate,” said Mangal Singh, a resident of Gwalpahari.




Traffic cops, who were deployed on the highway, said vehicles going to Delhi were particularly hit due to waterlogging near Sirhaul toll. “Due to the showers, there were multiple breakdowns on the stretch. The snarls (inside the city) were mainly caused by the tailbacks coming from inside Delhi,” said a senior traffic cop.




Around 200 additional cops were on the roads in the day to manage traffic. “The commissioner of police was personally overseeing the traffic management in the city. Traffic personnel manning the roads were asked to send videos of every choke point to the headquarters. And in case of waterlogging, they intimated the departments concerned,” said a senior traffic cop.