New Delhi, Aug. 9 -- Vehicular movement in the national capital descended into chaos on Friday evening, with motorists caught in hours-long snarls across the city, particularly in south and central Delhi.

Several arterial roads, including the Ring Road, Outer Ring Road, Mathura Road, Aurobindo Marg, Barapullah and Delhi-Noida Direct flyways, the Delhi-Gurugram routes via Mahipalpur and Mehrauli, India Gate Circle, the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, NH-9, and NH-44, were choked for nearly six hours from around 5pm.

While the Delhi traffic police attributed the congestion to Raksha Bandhan festivities coinciding with the weekend rush, many commuters blamed poor traffic management and the minimal presence of traffic personnel on the ground. Soci...