Pune: Even on the second day of the weekend, the traffic is as much as it was on Saturday on all major highways in and around Pune. Heavy traffic gridlock was seen on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and the Old Mumbai-Pune Highway. Bottlenecks and 3/4 km of lanes were seen at Lonavala, Central Chowk (Dehu Road), Talegaon Dabhade, Narhe, Khed Shivapur, Satara, and the Kolhapur side. The 214 km stretch from Pune to Nashik took two to three hours more than the average time in normal conditions, residents reported.
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Heavy traffic was seen at the Chakan area here. Meanwhile, vehicular traffic towards Nagpur going from Ahilyanagar and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar was worsened by constant diversions. Many people are leaving the city and heading home for the festival or heading outwards for short‐break getaways, given the long weekend. This has spiked vehicle numbers on the highways. With Monday being a potential holiday or part of linked off days, the rush started earlier. So Saturday & Sunday are seeing heavier flows than a regular weekend. Roadworks, lane closures, and diversions are contributing to bottlenecks on all the highways. Highways also handle freight and industrial traffic, which gets compounded during peak travel days like these.
On busy routes like the Expressway, toll plazas and FASTag scanning delays can amplify the backup, opined a resident. Ketan Patni, a resident of Kasegaon, Sangli, said, "If you must travel on one of the major routes, start early (before 6 am) or consider alternative routes. What should be a 3-4 hour drive could turn into 6-10 hours in places. Check for real‐time traffic updates/apps before you depart on Google Maps or other websites. Avoid known hotspots like Karad and Satara on the Pune-Bengaluru Highway." Patni also expressed concern about the return side being in the same condition after Diwali.
Diwali: The Festival of Lights
Diwali, generally celebrated for five days, is the biggest and most widely celebrated festival in India. In Maharashtra, traditionally, Mumbai and, in the last few decades, Pune have emerged as major urban centres where millions of residents stay for jobs and education. They natively belong to other districts or even other states. Youths from Satara, Kolhapur, Solapur, Nashik, Nagpur, Sangli, Ahmednagar, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and beyond come to Mumbai and Pune in search of jobs. A huge migration wave occurs as people travel home for the festival.
Thousands more head to hill stations like Mahabaleshwar, Konkan, Goa, Lonavala, Nashik, etc., for extended breaks. Schools, industrial belts, and IT companies in Pune declare week-long holidays, increasing the outbound rush.
Pune To Breathe In Few Days?
Currently the rush in city areas of Pune, like Laxmi Road, Tilak Road, JM Road, Deccan, and Peth areas, and more have long traffic snarls due to Diwali shopping. However, the situation is expected to improve once Diwali begins. With most families travelling to their hometowns or on vacation, the usual weekday traffic within Pune is likely to ease between Monday and Wednesday. Markets and inner-city roads are expected to remain relatively free during the main Diwali days. Locals claim that short bursts of congestion may occur in evening hours around temples and residential societies.
