Dense fog in Gurugram on Monday morning led to three road accidents causing widespread delays as visibility dropped sharply across major roads.
Police said no fatalities were reported, but the conditions resulted in long traffic snarls and slow movement across the city.
The first accident occurred on Southern Peripheral Road (SPR) around 7am, where Rajesh Kumar, who was driving from Sector 102 towards the airport, collided with another car. “I could barely see anything beyond a few metres. By the time I noticed the vehicle ahead, it was too late to brake,” he said.
In a separate incident on Golf Course Extension Road, Shveta Kaul, travelling from Sector 86, was hit from the rear by a cab on SPR.
“I didn’t step out of the car. The fog was so dense and vehicles were crawling past — I was afraid that someone might hit me if I stood on the road,” she said.
The third accident took place on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway, where a truck rammed into a stationary vehicle. No injuries were reported.
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The thick fog also led to major congestion on the Delhi–Gurugram Expressway, Dwarka Expressway, Golf Course Road, and Sohna Road. Commuters reported delays of up to an hour.
Traffic police officials said visibility fell below 50 metres at several stretches, prompting immediate deployment of teams at key intersections including Signature Tower, IFFCO Chowk, Cyber City, Rajiv Chowk and Shankar Chowk. Patrolling units were instructed to continuously monitor high-speed corridors and ensure vehicles maintained safe distance.
“We had anticipated dense fog and were prepared,” said Rajesh Mohan, DCP Traffic.
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“Our teams conducted a detailed study of black spots and diversion points. Tyres were strategically placed at road conversions and diversions to slow down traffic and avoid sudden lane-cutting, which becomes extremely dangerous in low visibility.”
He added that additional barricades were placed at accident-prone stretches to moderate vehicle speed.
“Our priority is preventing pile-ups. Fog creates unpredictable traffic behaviour and we want to ensure drivers get visual cues much earlier,” he said.
Residents reported several near misses. “I left 45 minutes earlier than usual but still got stuck near Cyber Hub. Cars appeared out of nowhere,” said Varun Vohra, a DLF Phase 3 resident.
Schools issued advisories regarding delayed bus timings, and commuters heading to Delhi airport faced cascading flight delays due to fog.
Meteorological officials said similar conditions are likely over the next few days, with dense fog expected during early mornings and late nights.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said that dense to very dense fog will be observed in isolated places of Haryana on Monday and it is expected to continue onwards.
They said that the weather is likely to remain dry with a gradual rise in minimum temperature by 2°C.
“The foggy condition will prevail for the next few days at present. On Monday, the minimum temperature for the last 24 hours reported at 8.30am was 8.3 degrees which was 2.1 degrees higher than the previous day,” he added.
Traffic police have urged commuters to use fog lamps, avoid overtaking, maintain greater following distance and check traffic updates before stepping out.
“The fog will continue. We advise all motorists to drive slow, stay alert and follow safety instructions”, DCP Mohan said.