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India’s Diwali Travel Crush Triggers Gridlock in Cities and on Key Highways

Delhi keeps festival-hour diversions through Oct. 21 with more than 23,000 police on duty to manage crowds.

Overview

  • Delhi Traffic Police restrictions for Old Delhi markets run daily from 2 pm to 10 pm through Oct. 21, with diversions and designated parking for Chandni Chowk and nearby areas.
  • Despite deployments, Delhi-NCR recorded hours-long snarls on Dhanteras on routes such as Ring Road, Mathura Road and the DelhiGurugram corridor, and traffic units pledged faster responses to complaints flagged on X.
  • New Delhi Railway Station handled about 75,000 passengers on Saturday as Ashwini Vaishnaw reviewed crowd management and facility upgrades.
  • Outside the capital, heavy queues built on the MumbaiPune Expressway and PuneBengaluru highway, Bengaluru police warned of congestion on six key stretches, and Shimla reported jams worsened by roadworks.
  • Pollution data showed air quality in the ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ range in Delhi-NCR and parts of Mumbai, with CPCB logging 268 for Delhi and 310 at BKC.