NEW DELHI: Delhi witnessed long queues of vehicles, gridlocked market roads and slow-moving traffic on Wednesday as festive shopping, traffic congestion and restrictions under GRAP added to commuters’ woes.From the narrow, crowded lanes of Sadar Bazar and Karol Bagh to major intersections across central Delhi, commuters reported prolonged traffic jams and encroachments that left little space for pedestrians. Several also complained of inadequate traffic personnel at key congestion points.At Sadar Bazar, the stretch towards Qutub Road Chowk witnessed severe congestion, with two-wheelers and other vehicles allegedly parked illegally along the footpath, leaving pedestrians with almost no space to walk. Commuters also pointed to the absence of cranes to tow unauthorisedly parked vehicles and clear the encroachments.Similar scenes were reported on Ajmal Khan Road, where commuters complained of indiscriminate parking and alleged that authorities had failed to act despite the problem recurring daily.According to news agency PTI, the festive shopping rush ahead of Diwali further strained already congested roads, with commuters reporting slow-moving traffic and long queues at several busy intersections.Traffic snarls were reported at multiple locations across central and north Delhi, including Inderlok, where vehicles reportedly remained almost stationary at a traffic signal for nearly 30 minutes.Motorists on Teen Murti Marg and Kushak Road said they were stuck in traffic for around 20 minutes, while heavy congestion was also reported on the stretch from 11 Murti towards Dhaula Kuan.The stretch from Tal Katora Road towards Shankar Road was reported to be heavily congested, with commuters seeking intervention from traffic personnel. Similar complaints emerged from the area around the Blind School, where a Diwali mela was underway. Commuters said traffic had slowed to a crawl, with long queues building up on adjoining roads.At Modi Mill near Kalkaji, motorists reported more than 200 cars stuck in traffic for over 30 minutes, claiming that the congestion had become a daily occurrence, particularly during peak hours. Traffic snarls were also reported at Dwarka and East of Kailash.Further north, commuters reported severe congestion at Prerna Chowk near Keshav Puram and on the road outside Keshav Puram Metro station, alleging that stationary and improperly parked vehicles were adding to the bottlenecks.Traffic was also moving at a snail’s pace at Azadpur Flyover, while motorists flagged rampant wrong-side driving and other traffic violations.In south Delhi, motorists flagged congestion outside Vasant Kunj police station, attributing it to a large number of vehicles parked outside the premises and a nearby traffic signal that allegedly compounded the bottleneck.Complaints also emerged from Jasola, where commuters alleged that unauthorised parking had taken over stretches of the road, with traffic police personnel reportedly attributing the parking arrangements to permissions granted by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.At the Ghazipur border, the enforcement of restrictions on non-BS-VI vehicles entering Delhi added another layer to the traffic situation.Vehicles entering from Uttar Pradesh were being checked by personnel, with traffic police identifying vehicles through their registration series and other vehicle details to ascertain their registration year and emission standard.Visuals shared online showed vehicles navigating through severely congested stretches near Akshardham Temple amid dense fog and reduced visibility. Commuters also flagged traffic congestion at Inderlok, Pitampura, Keshav Puram and several other locations, seeking immediate intervention from the Delhi Traffic Police.Commuters also called for the deployment of additional traffic personnel and volunteers at major intersections, saying inadequate staffing and indiscriminate parking were adding to congestion during the festive rush.(With agency inputs)