A dense fog cover on Thursday reduced visibility in the morning hours to less than 50 metres, delaying commuters travelling on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, Mehrauli Gurgaon (MG) Road and Gurgaon Faridabad Road by 15-20 minutes, said police officials.

The visibility improved after 9.30am and the day remained sunlit.

The reduced visibility of 50 metres was recorded by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) at the Palam observatory in New Delhi.

A truck broke down near Shiv Murti on the expressway around 8.45am, compounding the problem of congestion on the carriageway leading to Gurugram.

This led to Delhi traffic police cautioning commuters through social media. “Obstruction in traffic in the carriageway from Delhi towards Gurugram due to breakdown of a Truck near shiv murti. Kindly avoid the stretch. (sic)” Delhi traffic police tweeted.

Those travelling during the early morning hours faced a tough time reaching their destinations.

“It took me an additional 25 minutes to reach my office as there was heavy fog on the expressway, especially near the toll, where commuters were using hazard lights to caution those driving behind. Most vehicles were travelling below 50kmph,” said Abdul Najeeb, a resident of RK Puram in Delhi.

On the Gurgaon-Faridabad Road, the stretch after Baliawas village was difficult to navigate through. “As the area near Baliawas is mostly vacant, the fog was dense and crossing the stretch was extremely difficult. Aside from driving at a snail’s pace, I had to roll down my car windows and rely on the sound of vehicles to navigate,” said Rajinder Paliwal, a resident of Palam Vihar.

According to Gurugram traffic police officials, no accident was reported due to fog. However, they said their recommended safety measures have not been implemented by the authorities concerned, which could have aided commuters in difficult driving conditions, especially on the expressway.

“In November 2018, the Gurugram police had written to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for ensuring there is a proper road surface marking along the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, besides recommending the installation of blinker lights and road stud reflectors at key crossings and junctions. However, none of these measures has been implemented. To make matters worse, dirt has also accumulated on reflective tapes, which are rendered useless without regular cleaning,” said Hira Singh, assistant commissioner of police (highways).

Ashok Sharma, project director, NHAI, confirmed that the Gurugram police had written to them and they had asked the concessionaire to do the needful. “The Millennium City Expressways Private Limited (MCEPL), NHAI’s concessionaire, was directed to implement the recommended measures. However, a report from their side is still awaited,” he said.

S Raguraman, the chief executive officer of MCEPL, did not respond to texts and calls.

First Published: Jan 04, 2019 13:17 IST