Road Closures Around Divisional Commissioner’s Office Disrupt Traffic in Pune
Pune, 18th April 2024: Due to the crowds gathered for the campaigns and filing of nominations by candidates from both the Mahavikas Aghadi and the Mahayuti, roads around the Divisional Commissioner’s office in Pune were closed. This caused significant inconvenience for drivers, who had to take detours of 5 to 10 kilometres to travel distances of just 2 to 3 kilometres. As a result, heavy traffic congestion affected the Camp area, Pune Railway Station area, and most of the roads in Somwar Peth.
Candidates from the Baramati, Pune, and Shirur constituencies filed their nomination papers at the Divisional Commissioner’s office today. Large numbers of party workers from the city and district gathered for the filing of nominations, demonstrating their support for the candidates. The traffic police announced road closures around the area on Wednesday night. As a result, roads around the Divisional Commissioner’s office, Sadhu Vaswani Chowk, Quarter Gate Chowk, and Shantai Hotel Chowk in Rasta Peth were closed from 6 am to noon on Thursday.
Meetings held by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar at Hotel Blue Nile Chowk and Sharad Pawar at Shantai Hotel Chowk also drew large crowds, necessitating police security at these locations. Additionally, activists parking their vehicles on the highway disrupted traffic further. Roads from Ghorpadi to Sadhu Vaswani Chowk, Quarter Gate Chowk to Camp, and Shantai Hotel to the Camp area were closed from 6 am.
Motorists heading to the city centre were forced to take alternative routes, with traffic diverted through the racecourse. Traffic disruptions were observed at Narpatgiri Chowk, Power House Chowk, Sant Kabir Chowk, Agarkar Nagar, and Queens Garden in the Pune Station area, causing delays for drivers.
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Rohidas Pawar, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic Branch, stated that the traffic police closed the roads in the area in the morning due to the crowds at the Divisional Commissioner’s office. As a result, traffic in the Pune Station, Somvar Peth, and Camp areas was affected. By noon, traffic flow began to improve and smoothen out in these areas.
