Festivals are often about spending time with family and with Raksha Bandhan being celebrated on a Friday this year, many people in Delhi-NCR planned to make the most of the long weekend by travelling home or visiting relatives.
That, however, led to a chaotic Thursday evening on the roads in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurgaon witnessed heavy traffic as people rushed out of NCR ahead of the festival, even as regular office-hour traffic added to the congestion.
The Delhi-Meerut Expressway (DME) was among the worst affected stretches, with traffic crawling at several points. Videos recorded from high-rise residential societies overlooking the expressway showed seemingly endless lines of vehicles stuck on the road.
From Gurgaon to Ghaziabad
X user Sunanda Acharya posted one such video. “Massive Traffic Jam in Ghaziabad! Festival travel turns into a traffic nightmare!”
Watch the video:
🚨 Massive Traffic Jam in Ghaziabad!
The Delhi–Meerut Expressway is packed with vehicles, leaving people stranded in heavy traffic during the festive rush. 🚗🚕🚌
Festival travel turns into a traffic nightmare! 😓 pic.twitter.com/g6cogC7r0s
— Sunanda Acharya (@Sunanda_Iam) August 27, 2026
One major bottleneck was reported near an exit on the DME, where an eight-lane road narrows to just two lanes. As vehicles from the wider stretch converge into the narrower section near a turn, the traffic slowed considerably, resulting in long queues, according to India Today.
Ghaziabad was not the only part of NCR to experience the festive rush. Gurgaon also witnessed severe congestion as people took to the roads to leave the city ahead of the long weekend.
Bhupender Siwag shared videos and pictures from Gurgaon, highlighting the traffic.
“Today it’s traffic jams everywhere Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Meerut, everywhere! It feels like people aren’t leaving these cities for Raksha Bandhan this long weekend, but to escape these cities altogether!” he wrote.
Today it’s traffic jams everywhere Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Meerut, everywhere! It feels like people aren’t leaving these cities for Raksha Bandhan this long weekend, but to escape these cities altogether! 😄
I was also stuck in traffic Jam around Cyber City area for 45… pic.twitter.com/uz8IUQBQP3— Bhupender Siwag (@propertylenden) August 27, 2026
“I was also stuck in traffic Jam around Cyber City area for 45 minutes,” Siwag added.
‘Water logging, jams and what not’
The traffic snarls sparked frustration online, as commuters took to social media to share accounts of being stranded for hours.
“Gurgaon to Meerut in 8 Hours ! Thank you NHAI,” one user wrote.
“Water logging, jams and what not. Just another day in #Gurugram!” commented another.
A third user blamed the dependence on private vehicles. “So many cars carrying a single or max two passengers occupying so much raod space tells about the poor public transport.”
Another commuter shared an airport-related ordeal. “It took us 3 hrs to reach akshardham from T2 IG airport.”
The rush was also visible at bus stops across the region, where large crowds gathered to board state roadways buses.
With many people heading to their hometowns for Raksha Bandhan, buses bound for Agra, Aligarh, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Mathura, Kanpur, Lucknow and other districts saw a surge in passengers.
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