Eight-hour traffic jams in Delhi suburb as rains wreak havoc

BBC:

Thousands of commuters in one of India’s wealthiest suburbs were stuck on roads for six to eight hours due to rain-triggered traffic gridlock on Monday.

The incident has sparked outrage online, with many questioning how a place like Gurugram – known for its futuristic skyscrapers and sprawling corporate offices – could have such poor infrastructure.

Disaster management authorities in the suburb, which is located on the outskirts of capital Delhi, have advised offices, schools and colleges to work from home on Tuesday as more rainfall is predicted.

Torrential rains have wreaked havoc in several parts of India this year, killing hundreds of people in floods and landslides.

Many people took to social media to express their frustration with Gurugram’s “nightmarish” traffic, which was more than 10km (6.2 miles) long on one road, according to local media.

A viral video shows a never-ending row of cars clogging at least a dozen lanes of a key highway.

“Gurugram is drowning. You pay exorbitant rent to come home to this,” one user said on X.

Some users joked about whether they should just sleep in office and others said they’d probably reach faster on foot.

Gurugram is part of Haryana state, which is ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Frustrated residents raised questions about why the state has not been able to improve infrastructure in the city, which houses the regional headquarters of some of the biggest companies, including Google, Meta, American Express and Samsung.