Residents irked as police cordon off many roads in Peth areas

Steps taken to check vehicular movement have so far resulted in chaotic traffic snarls at many locations in Narayan Peth, Shaniwar Peth, and Shukrawar Peth

Pune

Most of the famous Ganpati pandals are in Peth areas, where devotees have a place to park their vehicles. (RAHUL RAUT/ HT PHOTO)

An experiment carried out by the Pune Traffic Police Division in Peth areas to alleviate traffic congestion during the Ganpati Festival has so far resulted in despair for thousands of commuters. Unlike previous years, where they would cordon off the streets after the fifth day of the festival, the cops have already put up barricades at most of the entry points to the central part of the city.

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Steps taken to check vehicular movement have so far resulted in chaotic traffic snarls at many locations in Narayan Peth, Shaniwar Peth, and Shukrawar Peth. Most of the famous Ganpati pandals are in these areas, where devotees have a place to park their vehicles.

However, the closure of many roads has forced many of them to abandon their vehicles and walk towards the pandals. Also, nearby residents are facing issues parking their vehicles near their homes.

Santosh Jadhav, a resident said, “We travel daily from the Shivaji Road during the first five days of the Ganpati Festival, but on the first day, barricades were placed on the main roads, which the police had never done before. For nearby residents, it is a cumbersome process to park their vehicles.”

A senior traffic police official, on condition of anonymity, stated, “The major roads in the Peth areas have seen heavy crowds due to Manache Ganpati and Dagadusheth Ganpati being in the central areas, so we have closed roads at the main junctions in Peth areas.”