India, Sept. 30 -- Vehicle breakdowns have remained a perennial problem on Delhi's major roads in the past few years, bringing traffic to a crawl for hours, traffic police officials familiar with the department's data said.

The problem is particularly acute when buses and large commercial vehicles break down, as their removal requires specialised cranes and a different recovery procedure from that used for ordinary vehicles, they added.

Delhi Traffic Police data showed 468 vehicle breakdowns have been reported as of September 17. Police receive alerts about breakdowns on major roads almost every day, with Ring Road, Outer Ring Road and Mathura Road among stretches frequently affected. Most breakdowns involving prolonged traffic disrupti...