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Heavy rush on highways, long queues at toll plazas as Pune residents head home for Diwali
Pune residents faced heavy traffic as thousands traveled home for Diwali, causing congestion on highways and long delays at toll plazas.
PUNE: With Diwali having begun, thousands of Pune residents on Sunday headed back to their villages and hometowns to enjoy the festival of lights with their near-and-dear ones, resulting in heavy traffic on almost all highways connecting Pune to other parts of Maharashtra, not to mention serpentine vehicle queues at multiple toll plazas and junctions.
There was heavy congestion on major routes such as the Pune-Mumbai expressway, Pune–Solapur highway, and Pune–Nashik Road, particularly near toll plazas such as Talegaon, Khed Shivapur, and Urse. Despite the efforts of the state highway police, traffic movement remained sluggish throughout the day. To manage the surge, the state highway police has deployed additional personnel across key junctions and toll nakas. Officers are monitoring vehicle flows through CCTV cameras; and patrolling teams have been stationed to prevent lane violations and ensure smoother movement.
A senior official from the state highway police, on condition of anonymity, said, “We anticipated this rush as most people start leaving Pune the weekend before Diwali. Extra manpower has been deployed at major toll plazas and accident-prone spots. However, the volume of vehicles is much higher than normal, and that’s causing delays. We are continuously working to clear bottlenecks and ensure that emergency vehicles get clear passage.”
Many commuters expressed frustration over prolonged travel times. Kiran Manikrao, a software professional headed to Kolhapur with his family, said, “We left Pune at 7 am thinking we would avoid the rush but it took us over two hours just to cross Khed Shivapur toll plaza. Vehicles were bumper-to-bumper every few kilometres. There were families with small children stuck for hours; it was very tiring.”
Similarly, Manasi Hambare, a teacher travelling to Ahmednagar, said, “I was stuck in a long queue at Ranjangaon for almost 45 minutes. It was chaotic as people tried to overtake and block lanes near toll booths. Though the police were managing the situation, there were just too many vehicles…”
Meanwhile, officials have urged motorists to plan their travel in advance, avoid peak hours, and ensure that their vehicles are in good condition to prevent breakdowns on busy stretches. The traffic department has also appealed to drivers to maintain lane discipline and patience while on the move.
