A surge in festival travel ahead of Raksha Bandhan pushed several Delhi corridors into severe congestion on Thursday evening, with traffic affected around ITO, Sarai Kale Khan, Mayur Vihar, Kashmere Gate, Laxmi Nagar, Hari Nagar and Kondli. Delhi Traffic Police had separately warned of increased movement around Anand Vihar ISBT, NH-9 and Vikas Marg on August 27–28.
Festival travel ahead of Raksha Bandhan placed significant pressure on Delhi’s road network on Thursday, August 27, with commuters reporting lengthy delays across several arterial corridors during the evening peak.
The New Indian Express reported bumper-to-bumper traffic around ITO, Sarai Kale Khan, Mayur Vihar, Kashmere Gate, Laxmi Nagar, Hari Nagar and Kondli, while the corridor from Akshardham towards Noida and the Delhi–Meerut Expressway also saw substantial congestion.
One Mayur Vihar commuter told the newspaper that a seven-kilometre journey that normally takes about 15 minutes required roughly 40 minutes. Another traveller heading beyond Akshardham towards Meerut reported spending around two-and-a-half hours on a journey that normally takes about an hour. These are individual accounts rather than network-wide travel-time measurements, but they illustrate the intensity of the disruption on specific routes.
The congestion was not entirely unexpected. Delhi Traffic Police had issued an advisory for August 27 and 28, warning that Raksha Bandhan would generate increased pedestrian and vehicular movement around Anand Vihar ISBT, Road No. 56, NH-9 and Vikas Marg. Commuters were advised to avoid Road No. 56 and the ISBT area where possible, allow extra journey time and follow traffic-management directions.
The Anand Vihar precinct is particularly vulnerable to festival surges because interstate buses, local traffic, taxis, private vehicles and pedestrians converge in a confined transport district. Delhi Traffic Police already identifies ISBT Anand Vihar and sections of Vikas Marg among recurring congestion locations in its eastern and central traffic ranges.
The festival rush also coincides with broader pressure on Delhi’s road network. Separate reporting on August 28 identified simultaneous construction and repair activity across parts of south Delhi, including the Ring Road, Outer Ring Road and Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, further reducing available road capacity in some corridors.
With Raksha Bandhan being observed on Friday, August 28, elevated traffic demand around interstate terminals and major eastern Delhi approaches remains operationally relevant through the day.
