Heavy traffic on major highways connecting city as post-Diwali return rush peaks

According to the state highways’ department, the return rush started from early morning and intensified by afternoon, with several families, information technology (IT) professionals, and students heading back to the city

With Diwali vacations ending, thousands of people who had travelled to their hometowns and villages began returning to Pune on Sunday, leading to heavy vehicular congestion on all major highways connecting the city. The Pune-Mumbai expressway (e-way) in particular, witnessed bumper-to-bumper traffic through the day as vehicles crawled at a snail’s pace along stretches between Lonavala, Talegaon and Dehu Road.

To manage the situation, the state highway police and highway safety patrol (HSP) deployed additional personnel at key points to ensure smooth movement and prompt clearance of minor breakdowns. (HT)

According to the state highways’ department, the return rush started from early morning and intensified by afternoon, with several families, information technology (IT) professionals, and students heading back to the city to resume work and college from Monday. Similar congestion was reported on the old Pune-Mumbai highway, Pune-Satara highway, and Ahmednagar Road as thousands of vehicles made their way into the city. Toll plazas at Talegaon, Khalapur, and Urse saw serpentine vehicle queues.

To manage the situation, the state highway police and highway safety patrol (HSP) deployed additional personnel at key points to ensure smooth movement and prompt clearance of minor breakdowns. Patrol teams were equipped with cranes and ambulances to respond swiftly to any emergency. Despite the efforts, the traffic flow remained sluggish throughout the day due to the sheer volume of vehicles.

Vikrant Deshmukh, superintendent of police, HSP, Pune division, said, “As expected, the post-Diwali return traffic was very high today. We had deployed additional manpower on all major highways including the Pune–Mumbai e-way. Our teams were monitoring traffic from early morning, and assisting stranded vehicles to avoid long halts. We also coordinated with the expressway control room and local police stations to manage the influx efficiently. We appeal to motorists to maintain lane discipline, avoid sudden braking, and follow speed limits for everyone’s safety.”

However, commuters who bore the brunt vented their frustration. Mamta Vengurlekar, a software professional returning to Pune from Kolhapur, said, “What is usually a three-hour drive took us almost six hours today. There were long queues near the toll plazas and traffic was barely moving near the city entry points. Still, we were mentally prepared for this rush as everyone was heading back after Diwali.”

Another commuter, Raman Shah, a resident of Pimpri-Chinchwad, who was returning from his native place in Sangli, said, “We left early in the morning to avoid the rush but even then, it took us five hours to reach Pune. Police were visible at major junctions, which helped to some extent, but the volume of vehicles was just too much.”