 "Commuters and truck drivers stranded in the massive gridlock say they have been stuck for days without access to food or water. Image for Representation. PTI")
Thousands of commuters and truck drivers remain stuck in a jaw-dropping 15–20 kilometre-long traffic jam on the Delhi-Kolkata highway, trapped for the fourth straight day near Sasaram and Rohtas in Bihar , with vehicles inching forward at a snail’s pace and frustration running high.
According to an NDTV report, the chaos began after torrential rains hit Rohtas district last Friday.
The result?
Potholes, slushy stretches, and severe waterlogging along the National Highway 19 that has made driving almost impossible. In some shocking cases, vehicles are reportedly covering only five kilometres in an entire 24-hour stretch.
Here’s a closer look at how this massive gridlock came to be.
‘Stuck for 30 hours with no help’
Commuters and truck drivers stranded in the massive gridlock say they have been stuck for days without access to food or water.
“Have been stuck in traffic jams for two days. We are hungry and thirsty and in a miserable state. Even covering a few kilometres is taking hours,” Sanjay Singh, a truck driver from Kolkata who covered only 20 kilometres since he started his journey 24 hours ago, said.
Commuters say they have seen little to no effort from the local administration to ease the chaos. Neither the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) nor the construction company responsible for the highway expansion has intervened.
“In the past 30 hours, we have travelled only seven kilometres. We pay tolls and taxes, yet we are stuck here with no help. There are no NHAI officials or local authorities on the ground,” one trucker told NDTV.
The jam has also caused major disruptions for businesses. Drivers carrying perishable goods fear losing their cargo, while pedestrians, ambulances, emergency services, and tourists struggle to navigate the congested stretch.
National Highway 19, running from Agra in Uttar Pradesh to Dankuni in West Bengal, passes through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, connecting several key cities and crossing the Ganga River multiple times.
This highway is also a crucial part of the historic Grand Trunk Road, one of Asia’s oldest and longest trade routes. It is also included in the international Asian Highway Network (AH1) and the Golden Quadrilateral, making it vital for both domestic and cross-border commerce and travel.
What led to the massive traffic jam?
The severe congestion on the Delhi-Kolkata highway has been triggered by ongoing road-widening work near Shivsagar, being carried out by the NHAI.
Heavy rains that hit the region three days ago worsened the situation, halting construction work and reducing the available road space. Vehicles are now forced to pass through a narrow temporary diversion, slowing movement and creating heavy bottlenecks.
What would normally be a short drive now takes hours, with the traffic jam stretching all the way to Aurangabad, almost 65 kilometres from the original point of disruption in Rohtas.
“This jam is only on one side, from Aurangabad to Varanasi, but it’s affecting hundreds of trucks and passenger vehicles. The trucks have barely moved in hours,” said a stranded truck driver.
As per NDTV, when approached about the blockage, NHAI Project Director Ranjit Verma declined to appear on camera or comment on the situation.
With input from agencies