Pune: Due to the Pune Book Festival 2025, this week Punekars have to adjust their daily commute ways, as there is going to be a traffic diversion at the Jangali Maharaj Road (JM Road) and Fergusson College Road (FC Road) from 13th to 21st December, officials announced on Friday. For these eight days, traffic changes will take place on two of the most important roads in the city’s heart from 9 am to 10 pm every day.
The road changes are being done due to the Pune Book Festival, which is organised in Fergusson College premises from 13th to 21st December. Predicting a huge turnout for this festival, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Himmat Jadhav announced these changes through an official circular.
About The Pune Book Festival
The Pune Book Festival is a major annual literary festival and book fair organised by the National Book Trust (NBT), India, in collaboration with local partners. Held in Pune, the festival aims to promote reading culture, literature, and creative expression and has emerged as one of the largest book festivals in India within a short span.
The 2025 edition of the festival officially began on Saturday. It will feature hundreds of book stalls offering a wide range of titles in multiple Indian languages, including Marathi, Hindi, and English.
The festival hosts a variety of author interactions, literary discussions, workshops, storytelling sessions, and book launches, bringing together writers, poets, artists, and intellectuals from across the country.
Special reading initiatives such as “Shantata Puneakar Vachat Ahet” encourage collective reading and aim to foster a reading habit among citizens, with some editions even attempting Guinness World Records.
The festival is open to readers of all ages, with free entry, though select sessions may require registration. Previous editions attracted over 10 lakh visitors, underlining its growing cultural significance in Pune.
Traffic Changes Due To Festival:
Police have announced changes on JM Road and FC Road to avoid traffic on the busy roads from 13th to 21st December from 9 am to 10 pm daily. The following alternative routes can be used by the residents:
1) For people wanting to go to Karve Road from JM Road, they must take a left at Balgandharva Chowk and then from Nadipatra Road and Mahadev Mandir go to their desired destination.
2) People who want to go to Shivajinagar from Karve Road via FC Road must go to Law College Road from Nal Stop and then go to the desired destination via Senapati Bapat Road (SB Road).
How To Reach The Book Festival?
- For people coming to the book festival, they must enter gate number 3 of Fergusson College from Sant Tukaram Maharaj Paduka Chowk. Their vehicles must be parked in the college premises.
- People should use Fergusson College gate number 4 to leave the book festival.
- Only those who are walking to the book festival are allowed to use gate number 2 of the Fergusson College.
- Free parking is available for visitors at the parking in front of gate number 2 parking lot of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce (BMCC) premises.
