Kerry’s convoy took two hours to cover nine kilometres.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is in India for the Indo-US strategic and commercial dialogue, got a taste of Delhi’s monsoon traffic jams when his convoy struck in a massive traffic jam near Satya Marg on Monday evening.
The convoy took two hours to reach the Taj Mahal hotel from IGI Airport and it became a major security concern.
“John Kerry stuck in traffic like everyone else on wet New Delhi night,” a US media personnel travelling with Kerry tweeted and posted a picture of Mr. Kerry’s cavalcade.
Indian and US intelligence officials quickly reviewed the security apparatus and Plain-clothes men were sent to the ground to form a cover from a distance and stretches causing the jam around Teen Murti Marg cleared on priority. More than 50 policemen were deployed to make way for the VIP.
“We had all arrangements in place to keep the passage clear, but heavy rainfall led to a traffic jam,” an officer told media.
However, the police later said that, contrary to reports, John Kerry wasn’t stuck in a jam due to waterlogging, “He has been given Z-plus security and traffic on one corridor was cleared from IGI’s technical area to New Delhi. There was traffic jam on adjacent roads to his movement,” media quoted another official.
Major stretches in Delhi were waterlogged on a day that saw a good 21.6mm of rain since the early afternoon. Water-logging of three to four feet was reported across the city.
The traffic jam threw life out gear in Gurugram for the second time in the season and the worst affected areas included Hero Honda Chowk, Rajeev Chowk, Signature Tower Chowk, and Sohna road. Vehicles were in queue of two to three kilometres on these intersections of Delhi-Gurugram Expressway.
Social Media Updates:
John Kerry stuck in traffic like everyone else on wet New Delhi night. pic.twitter.com/HiQD8lQlFs
— Nick Wadhams (@nwadhams) August 29, 2016
Kerry's drive from the airport took two hours. More rain forecast for tomorrow!
— Nick Wadhams (@nwadhams) August 29, 2016
On the move with John Kerry. "Move" being the important thing after last night pic.twitter.com/XMqTWqztsY
— Nick Wadhams (@nwadhams) August 30, 2016