WATCH | Huge Rush Seen At Delhi's Anand Vihar Railway Station, ISBT Ahead of Diwali, Chhath Puja

Massive traffic snarls and crowds at railway stations and bus stands were reported in several parts of Delhi as people rushed to their hometowns ahead of Diwali and Chhath Puja festivals. On Saturday, a huge rush of people was seen near Anand Vihar and Kaushambi on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border.

In a 46-second video shared by news agency ANI, a sea of people can be seen on the foot-over bridge at Anand Vihar railway station and the inter-state bus terminal (ISBT).

With the festivals approaching, several workers and families staying in Delhi-NCR travel to their hometowns, mostly Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, for Diwali and Chhath puja festivities.

Commuters were stuck on the roads for several hours and took to social media to share their woes. Some X (formerly Twitter) users posted that they were stuck in traffic jams for one hour on the Delhi-Meerut expressway near Ghazipur market. According to commuters, sellers in Ghazipur flower market “illegally” encroached on the road causing a long traffic jam and leading to inconvenience for travellers.

“Massive traffic jam near Anand Vihar. Huge traffic jam near Ghazipur towards Ghaziabad-Meerut Road. Stuck there for over one hour,” a person wrote on X. Sunil Yadav, who was going to Raj Nagar in Ghaziabad from Vasant Vihar, said, “The traffic was very heavy on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway. It took me over half an hour to pass the stretch which generally takes around 5-10 minutes.”

Railways Ply 1,700 Special Trains

In a bid to ease travel during the festival season, the Railways have pressed into service 1,700 special trains, making available 26 lakh additional berths. News agency PTI quoted a Railways official as saying that these additional services are being operated to ease the heavy rush of passengers on account of Diwali and Chhath Puja.

“Approximately 26 lakh extra berths have been added for the convenience of passengers,” the official said, adding that these are extra berths in addition to those available on regular trains across the network.

The demand for train reservations is so high that it is becoming difficult for the people planning to head home for the festivities to get a reserved berth.

Delhi Police Advisory

On Diwali eve, the traffic was very heavy on the Ghazipur border towards Ghaziabad from Delhi.

The Delhi Police had also issued an advisory suggesting that a high volume of traffic is expected in view of the festive season and advised commuters to take public transport.

“Pre-Diwali high volume of traffic is expected on the city roads, especially around shopping malls and around busy high footfall market areas including Chandni Chowk, Khari Baoli, Connaught Place, Karol Bagh, Sarojini Nagar, Sadar Bazar, Central Market Lajpat Nagar, Nehru Place, Greater Kailash, Tilak Nagar, Gandhi Nagar, Kamla Nagar and Rajouri Garden,” police had said.

“To avoid inconvenience, save time, fuel and reduce pollution, the general public is advised to utilise the services of public transport like bus, metro and carpool etc. Connecting with the social media services of Delhi Traffic Police and traffic helpline will further help in planning a hassle-free travel accordingly,” the advisory had said.

(with inputs from PTI)