Pune: Pune traffic police have announced extensive traffic restrictions, diversions, no-parking zones and parking arrangements in the city ahead of the Ganesh immersion procession scheduled for Friday (September 25).
The restrictions have been imposed to ensure the smooth movement of immersion processions and manage the large number of devotees expected to gather along the main routes. The traffic police said emergency vehicles, including fire brigade vehicles, police vehicles and ambulances, will be allowed wherever required.
Several major roads in central Pune will remain closed to traffic from September 25 until the immersion processions conclude on September 26. These include Shivaji Road from Kaka Halwai Chowk to Jedhe Chowk, Laxmi Road from Sant Kabir Chowk to Alka Talkies Chowk, Bajirao Road from Savarkar Chowk to Phadke Haud Chowk, Kelkar Road from Budhwar Chowk to Alka Talkies Chowk, Ganesh Road, Tilak Road, Shastri Road, Jungli Maharaj Road, Fergusson College Road, Karve Road, Bhandarkar Road, Pune-Satara Road, Solapur Road, Prabhat Road, Bagale Road and Guru Nanak Road.
Traffic will be diverted at several points, including Jhansi Rani Chowk on Jangali Maharaj Road, Kaka Halwai Chowk on Shivaji Road, Sant Kabir Chowk on Laxmi Road, Rohan Raj Chowk on Solapur Road, Savarkar Putla Chowk on Bajirao Road, Senadatta Police Chowki on Shastri Road, Nal Stop on Karve Road and Goodluck Chowk on Fergusson College Road.
The traffic police have also designated a ring-road route for vehicles to bypass the main immersion procession areas. The route will connect key roads, including Ganeshkhind Road, Senapati Bapat Road, University Road, Aundh, Baner, Shivajinagar, Nehru Road, Market Yard, Satara Road, Sinhagad Road and Lal Bahadur Shastri Road, among others.
No-parking restrictions
No-parking restrictions will come into force from 11pm on Thursday (September 24) and remain in place until the immersion procession ends. The restrictions will apply to all vehicles except police, fire brigade, ambulances and other authorised emergency vehicles.
The major no-parking stretches include Laxmi Road between Sant Kabir Chowk and Alka Talkies Chowk, Kelkar Road between Budhwar Chowk and Alka Talkies Chowk, Kumthekar Road between Shaniwar Chowk and Alka Talkies Chowk, Tilak Road between Jedhe Chowk and Alka Talkies Chowk, Shivaji Road between Kaka Halwai Chowk and Jedhe Chowk, Shastri Road, Jangali Maharaj Road between Jhansi Rani Chowk and Khanduji Baba Chowk, and connecting roads between Khanduji Baba Chowk and Hotel Vaishali.
Parking arrangements on Karve Road between Nal Stop and Khanduji Baba Chowk and Fergusson College Road between Khanduji Baba Chowk and Goodluck Chowk will also be suspended.
Heavy vehicles banned for 48 hours
The traffic police have imposed a citywide ban on the entry of heavy vehicles for 48 hours from 12.01am on September 25 to midnight on September 26.
Additional traffic changes have been announced for Dhayari Phata, Keshavnagar-Mundhwa and Sasane Nagar-Hadapsar.
At Dhayari Phata and nearby areas, restrictions will remain in force from 11am to midnight on September 25, with motorists being diverted through alternative routes. Traffic heading towards the Nal Stop vegetable market area from Sinhagad Road will also be restricted during this period.
In Keshavnagar-Mundhwa, one-way traffic arrangements will be implemented from 6am on September 25 until the immersion procession ends. Several movements towards Manjri and Mundhwa will be diverted through alternative routes.
In Sasane Nagar and Hadapsar, restrictions will be implemented from 6am on September 24 and September 25, as required. Traffic approaching Sasane Nagar Main Road from Kalepadal Underpass and other connecting roads will be diverted through Hadapsar, Tukai Darshan, Gondhalenagar and other alternative routes.
The traffic police have also made 26 parking locations available for citizens visiting the city for the Ganesh immersion festivities. Citizens have been urged to use the designated parking facilities and alternative routes to avoid congestion.
