Pune, 14 June 2025: The central parts of Pune witnessed severe traffic congestion on Saturday as crowds poured in for last-minute shopping for school supplies and for darshan of the famous Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati on the occasion of Sankashti Chaturthi. Long queues of vehicles stretched across main roads, bringing traffic to a near standstill and causing major inconvenience to commuters and pedestrians alike.
With schools set to reopen from Monday (June 16), families thronged the central markets from as early as 11 am to buy uniforms, books, shoes and other supplies. Simultaneously, devotees flocked to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Road to offer prayers at the Dagdusheth Ganapati temple. The overcast weather and intermittent rain encouraged more people to travel by private vehicles, worsening the traffic situation.
By afternoon, key stretches including Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Road, Bajirao Road, and Lakshmi Road were jam-packed. Vehicle queues extended up to the Municipal Building and Maharana Pratap Bagh, while spillover traffic clogged connecting routes like Nehru Road, Tilak Road, Congress Bhavan Road, and even narrow internal lanes such as riverside road, Kelkar Road, and Kumthekar Road.
Haphazard roadside parking near busy spots like the Municipal Building and along internal lanes further compounded the chaos. Frustrated shoppers and devotees had to abandon their vehicles nearly one or two kilometers away and resort to rickshaws or walking long distances through congested streets to reach the markets and temple.
Poor traffic planning blamed
Despite an obvious spike in crowds expected during the weekend due to Sankashti Chaturthi and back-to-school shopping, traffic management remained inadequate. With no special arrangements or diversions in place, the central city roads were paralyzed for hours, leaving citizens fuming.
My kids’ school reopens Monday, so I came to buy clothes and books. I had to park my car on Jangli Maharaj Road and hire a rickshaw to Appa Balwant Chowk. After shopping, there were no rickshaws available, so I had to walk all the way back.Kishore Mane, a harried shopper.
Residents and traders have urged the traffic police to chalk out better plans for handling such predictable festive and seasonal rushes in future to avoid such gridlocks and discomfort.