The jam appears to stretch for over a kilometre.
The annual trend of pre-Diwali traffic continued this year with the Delhi-Gurugram expressway witnessing massive traffic jams, resulting in people being stuck for over an hour. A video of the jam near the toll plaza also shows an ambulance trying to make its way through the traffic.
Despite being eight-laned, the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway sees traffic snarls almost every day and the situation was exacerbated on Friday by the rush on Dhanteras, with people stepping out to go shopping and to meet relatives. People buy items made of gold, silver and other metals on Dhanteras, which is a Hindu festival that marks the beginning of the five-day Diwali festivities.
A video shows at least one ambulance stuck in the traffic, surrounded by hundreds of vehicles. The jam appears to stretch for over a kilometre and vehicles are seen moving at a snail's pace.
In an advisory issued on Thursday, the Delhi Police had warned of heavy traffic on Dhanteras as well as Diwali, which will be celebrated on Sunday.
"Pre-Diwali high volume of traffic is expected on the city roads especially around shopping malls and around busy high footfall market areas including at 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," the advisory said, according to a report by news agency PTI.
"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 social media services of Delhi Traffic Police and traffic helpline will further help in planning a hassle-free travel accordingly," it added.