Several Parts of Delhi Witness Massive Traffic Jams as Thousands Flock Outdoor for New Year

New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) Several parts of the national capital saw massive vehicular congestion, with even ambulances reportedly stuck in traffic jams at some places, as thousands stepped out to celebrate New Year on Wednesday.

In some cases, it took the commuters hours to reach their destinations.

Entry and exit gates of five Delhi Metro stations were closed in the evening to deal with the rush of passengers.

A large number of people flocked to the central Delhi. Commuters were stuck in traffic jams on roads leading to the India Gate, Connaught Place, Mathura Road and ITO.

"It feels like the entire Delhi is headed to the India Gate. It is a pleasant spot to celebrate but the crowd is a deterrent," said Rahul Chugh, who was at the India Gate.

Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Taj Hasan said around 70,000 people thronged to India Gate, causing massive vehicular traffic.

"Necessary traffic diversions were made to control the congestion. The traffic was not completely stalled but there was a slow movement of vehicles. With necessary traffic diversions, the congestion was brought under control," he added.

The Delhi Traffic Police was constantly alerting commuters about the vehicular traffic through its official handle on Twitter.

"It took me two hours to reach India Gate from Laxmi Nagar. By the time I reached there with family, I lost the desire to celebrate new year because it was way too crowded," said Pritam Pal Mehra, who runs a garment store in Laxmi Nagar.

While Tripta Chari, a psychology student, said "It is good that the areas around the India Gate have no vehicular movement. I am sure the traffic has been affected but at least inside one can easily walk around."

Entry and exit gates at Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan, Mandi House, Pragati Maidan, Patel Chowk and Khan Market Delhi Metro stations were closed for over an hour to manage the rush of passengers.

The DMRC also tweeted to alert commuters, even as streets outside these stations remained crowded.

Commuters took to Twitter to inform the Delhi Traffic Police about an ambulance being stuck in traffic jam at Barakhamba Road. The police quickly responded that the information was shared with the traffic personnel of the area.

Another ambulance was also stuck on Barapullah flyover towards Sarai Kale Khan, pointed out a commuter on Twitter.

"Traffic congestion is for over 30 minutes," tweeted a commuter tagging Delhi Police.

Narrating a similar tale, another commuter tweeted, "What's with crazy traffic in across Delhi? Connaught Place is totally blocked, ITO flyover choked... What's happening."

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)