Raksha Bandhan Rush Triggers Massive Traffic Jam On Delhi Roads

Critical routes in Delhi-NCR witnessed unprecedented traffic on Friday as the national capital saw a rush in movement on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. Long queues of vehicles were reported from key stretches including the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, MB Road, Kalindi Kunj, Pragati Maidan and Akshardham.

The Delhi Metro also saw a heavy rush of passengers as people went out to celebrate Rakhi over the long weekend.

The Delhi-Meerut Expressway particularly saw heavy traffic flow, which continued for several hours. The long festival weekend made it worse, with vehicles moving slowly and traffic teams deployed to regulate movement.

Kilometres of traffic jams were reported from MB Road in Chhatarpur, as long queues of cars and other vehicles were seen in the area. At the Lado Sarai Old MB Road traffic signal, commuters alleged that buses were violating traffic rules by jumping red lights and obstructing pedestrians at zebra crossings.

"In light of the Raksha Bandhan festival, we have deployed personnel at interstate borders where there is significant movement in and out of Delhi, as well as in areas that traditionally see high footfall during festivals, such as near metro stations and markets," Additional CP (Traffic), Vijyanta Arya, was quoted as saying by ANI.

#WATCH | Delhi: Traffic snarl in the Kalindi Kunj area as people head out to celebrate Raksha Bandhan with their loved ones. pic.twitter.com/zWDPRnEdn7

— ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2026

Heavy congestion was reported from the key Sarai Kale Khan route, while Pragati Maidan and the Akshardham stretch also saw slow movement. Meanwhile, Kalindi Kunj remained a major bottleneck, with commuters raising concerns that this congestion occurs daily.

Slow-moving traffic was reported on the Delhi-Saharanpur Highway near Geeta Colony Road amid increased movement ahead of the Raksha Bandhan festival.

This comes as the Delhi Police earlier issued a traffic advisory for August 27 and 28 , warning of increased pedestrian and vehicular movement around Anand Vihar ISBT, Road No. 56, NH-9 and Vikas Marg. The traffic police had advised commuters to avoid these routes and take alternate roads to reach their destinations.

The heavy traffic on road was paired with a significant surge of passengers in the Delhi Metro. Several metro stations witnessed heavy influx of passengers as they travelled ahead of the festive weekend.

(With inputs from PTI)