Rains lash Delhi, stall traffic

New Delhi: Heavy rains lashed several parts of Delhi-NCR through the night, submerging roads and triggering traffic jams that lasted hours. 

Traffic on an 18-km stretch of Delhi-Gurgaon expressway stalled for over four hours, officials said. 

Rush hour traffic was also thrown out of gear in other parts of Gurgaon. 

Commuters were stuck in an over five-kilometre jam on the road between Hero Honda Chowk and Khirki Daula toll plaza in the Haryana city. 

Cars stalled as office-goers tried to make their way through waterlogged roads, some taking up to four hours to report to work. 

"I was trapped for at least three hours in a jam and had to go back home. My son skipped school and I missed office today," DLF 2 resident Raman Malhotra told PTI. 

At least three major private schools in Gurgaon were closed for the day with buses unable to pick up children from their homes. 

The heaviest rainfall in the city adjacent to New Delhi was between 4 and 7 am, residents said. Normalcy began returning around 2 pm as water drained away from major roads in Gurgaon. 

Several residents took to Twitter to share their experiences and posted photos of waterlogging and jams. Office-goers in Delhi too faced traffic disruptions and many opted for Delhi Metro services, which were delayed due to overcrowding. 

Classes at several colleges were cancelled. The Palam observatory recorded 101 mm rainfall, Lodi 22.2 mm, Safdarjung 49.6 mm and Ridge 6.8 mm, the Met department said. 

Heavy rains were recorded in central and eastern parts of Delhi with waterlogging and traffic congestion being reported from areas such as Mayur Vihar, Palam, Dhaula Kuan, Bhairon Enclave in Punjabi Bagh, Moti Nagar flyover and between Mundka and Rajdhani Park. 

Traffic was affected near Narela Mandi due to an uprooted tree. 

Waterlogging was also reported from Devli, Vayusenabad, Sangam Vihar, at GTK towards Mahendra Park, Inderlok Chowk towards Zakhira near underpass, Rao Tula Ram Marg, on Rama Road and at the roundabout between Windsor place and Dr Rajendra Prasad Road. 

"I waited for 45 minutes for the Metro. This is not right. At least during peak hours the frequency should be improved," Sunita Kumar, a Delhi University student travelling on the Blue Line said. 

On Twitter, some Gurgaon residents blamed Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khatttar for failing to maintain the city's basic infrastructure. "@mlkhattar mantra of Gurgaon to Gurugram name change didn't work. 

The state of affairs in the Cyber city remains the same," a resident tweeted. Officials said vehicular movement was also affected at IIFCO Chowk, Signature Tower, Mahavir Chowk, Rajeev Chowk, Sikanderpur, Old Gurgaon, Huda City Centre and Sohna road in the city. 

"The main reason for the traffic congestion (between Hero Honda Chowk and Khirki Daula) was due to some vehicles breaking down," a Gurgaon police officer said. 

Teams of the traffic police were on the ground trying to clear the roads, he said.