India, Oct. 29 -- Festive shopping, infrastructure work on key roads, traffic restrictions for VIP movements and heightened security deployment ahead of protests combined to bring traffic across Delhi to a grinding halt on Wednesday, with central and south Delhi among the worst-hit areas.

Vehicles were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic for hours, with long snarls reported on major arterial roads and motorists complaining of inadequate traffic management during the evening rush.

"Footfall at key markets such as Khan Market, Connaught Place, Lajpat Nagar, Sarojini Nagar and Karol Bagh has increased multifold due to festival shopping. The parking space crunch, leading to roadside parking, is also causing traffic jams, especially around maj...