New Delhi: The capital came to a standstill for a few hours after the Delhi police conducted an unplanned traffic drill on Tuesday morning (September 5) in preparation for the upcoming G20 summit.The contingency drill was supposed to last from 5am-10am but the traffic build-up spilled over till late afternoon, causing distress to commuters, the Hindustan Times reported. The surprise drill was meant “to test even those situations in which we would have to make arrangements (for the movement of G20 leaders and delegates) with usual traffic in place”, Aalap Patel, deputy commissioner of police (traffic) told the Hindustan Times. The drill came just a day after Delhi police’s announcement that it will not spring any traffic surprises on residents. However, the surprise rehearsal caught both commuters and police personnel unprepared for the situation.VIDEO | Traffic jam reported at ITO, Delhi amid security checking and traffic restrictions in view of the upcoming G20 Summit.#G20Summit2023 pic.twitter.com/p6RWHXUTMC— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 5, 2023This was not the first traffic drill conducted in the capital ahead of the G20 summit. The rehearsals on Saturday and Sunday were done after detailed advisories were issued. Another drill on Monday also brought traffic to a halt during peak office hours with jams reported from Shanti Path, Sardar Patel Marg, C-Hexagon, Bhairon Marg, Bhairon Road-Ring Road, and Mathura Road, the report said.Patel said “the very nature of Tuesday’s rehearsal was to test our preparedness for unplanned routes, sudden disorders, and unscheduled movements”. But to ensure minimum disruption to the city’s motorists, the rehearsal was planned for the morning hours, he added. The exercise involved the movement of the entire carcade rather than separate batches, he explained.“When we noticed that the public was facing inconvenience, we issued a late advisory,” Patel admitted. The Delhi police has issued a slew of other advisories ahead of the summit to inform the public of movement restriction in place from September 8-10.