The traffic situation in New Delhi and Gurgaon is expected to remain in a critical situation on Friday as well.
Union Road Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday asked the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to rush a team of officers to the area.
Commuters were stuck for ages, for anything between 4-10 hours, on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway after heavy rains left the Hero Honda Chowk inundated, on Thursday.
There was a massive traffic jam as all kinds of vehicles – from cars, to two-wheelers to buses and other modes of public transport – were stuck for over four hours, especially on the Delhi-Jaipur stretch.
As NH 8 remained cut off, traffic moving towards Rajasthan and Maharashtra was stuck on the city roads and state highways throughout Thursday night.
Failure of Government Machinery
Around 1 am on Friday, the water level started rising. The scared and stranded people pulled down a part of the divider on the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway to escape.
The Badshahpur drain carrying stormwater breached, leading to several feet of waterlogging in the area.
Several people, oblivious of the lurking danger at several inundated places, fell into ditches, but were saved by timely help from onlookers.
People stuck at the spot lamented that no officials, particularly those connected with disaster management, were available to alleviate their miseries. They said they had been left to fend for themselves by the government.
Institutional Responses
Gadkari has asked the NHAI Chairman Raghav Chandra to immediately rush a team of senior officers to Gurgaon and personally monitor the situation. He has been asked to take all necessary steps in cooperation with the state authorities to ensure smooth flow of vehicles on NH8Road Transport Ministry
According to reports by ANI, the Haryana Chief Secretary has called an emergency meeting to address the pressing issue of waterlogging and traffic in Gurgaon.
The District Magistrate has directed all schools in Gurgaon to remain closed on 29 and 30 July, in view of the unprecedented rainfall.
The Gurgaon Traffic Police is playing a proactive role in informing commuters of main traffic points.
Gurgaon Police Commissioner Navdeep Singh Virk said the entire traffic and district police force were on the roads to help commuters.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, the Secretary of District Level Service Authority (DLSA), Abhishek Phutela and his volunteers helped officials manage traffic on the field.
Sources: IANS and Hindustan Times
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