Pune: Several roads, especially in the city’s eastern and central areas, were choked on Thursday as temporary traffic curbs for the palkhis of revered saints returning from Pandharpur to Alandi triggered major congestion. Poor roads and potholes further worsened the situation, with snarls persisting long after the palkhis had moved through.The worst-hit stretch was the Solapur highway, where traffic police halted vehicular movement to facilitate the smooth passage of warkaris. Deputy police commissioner (traffic) Sandip Bhajibhakare said, “There was congestion on the city roads on Thursday, especially on the eastern side of the city. Between morning and afternoon, the palkhis of Sant Tukaram Maharaj and Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj passed along the Solapur highway, due to which the traffic police had to shut both lanes. Despite the palkhis moving out by afternoon, the cascading effect lasted for hours after that.”The traffic police also reported eight vehicle breakdowns across the city and at least 200 alerts related to crashes, objects on roads, lane closures, flooding, construction work and other disruptions, all of which contributed to the massive congestion. “As per our analysis, there was also more than usual volume of vehicles on the road and the potholes slowed down traffic movement,” Bhajibhakare said.According to the Pune traffic department’s analysis, congestion peaked at 5pm, when 31.8% of the city’s road network was affected. Among the worst-hit stretches were Subanshah Darga to Govind Halwai Chowk, Madi to Subanshah Darga, Ramoshi Gate Chowki to SP Mukherjee Road, Nagarkar Talim to City Post Office, Govind Halwai Chowk to Nivdungya Vithoba Mandir, ABC Chowk to Moti Chowk, Juna Motor Stand to Ramoshi Gate Chowki and Parvati police station to NC Phadke Chowk.Bhajibhakare said the congestion was particularly severe in the old city areas. “The primary causes for traffic were the slowest roads and junctions clustered in the old city core under Khadak, Faraskhana and Vishrambaug traffic divisions. These are recurring bottlenecks and reflect physical capacity constraints rather than one-off incidents,” he said.Commuters, meanwhile, were left fuming as routine journeys stretched into ordeals. “It should have taken no more than 30 minutes for me to reach Camp from Hadapsar, but I have been stuck for nearly two hours,” Nilesh Purohit, a commuter, said. “I first tried the highway, which was completely blocked, and then the internal roads were also choked. I had to postpone a very important meeting,” he said.School student Tanishka Chaturvedi echoed the frustration. “Our bus has been stuck in the same spot for the past 20 minutes. I’m going to miss my football training session because of this. It’s becoming a regular thing,” the student said.
