Pune: The combination of large Ganesh pandals occupying portions of already narrow roads, police bandobast and diversions to manage festival crowds and heavy traffic generated by visitors has left residents of Peth areas struggling to access their homes.The traffic police have closed some major roads to vehicular traffic, including Laxmi Road, Chhatrapati Shivaji Road and Bajirao Road, from around 5pm onwards as crowds gather to view Ganeshotsav decorations.Old city area residents said restrictions have also raised concerns over reaching hospitals and availing of emergency services. They added that with barricading at several points, they are forced to walk long distances while returning from work or for chores.Rekha Joshi (71), a resident of Somwar Peth, said festival road closures have made even routine commutes difficult for senior citizens. “Residents have to walk considerable distances to find an autorickshaw. Diversions mean auto drivers charge more as they have to take longer routes,” she said, adding, “For Peth residents, it has almost become like an unwritten order to stay home and step out only when absolutely necessary. We may not have to go to work post-retirement, but we still have our daily routines.”Joshi said she usually walks to Budhwar Peth, Phadke Houd and nearby areas rather than taking a vehicle to avoid pollution and expenses. However, heavy festival traffic has made movement hazardous for pedestrians. “My daily walking distance is around 1-2km. I walk to avoid using my scooter unnecessarily and adding to air pollution. But now there is so much traffic from every direction that I have to walk very carefully and fearfully. At my age, even a small push can result in a major accident,” she said.Aarya Phadke, a Sadashiv Peth resident and student, said road closures near Dandekar Pul forced her to walk home, even at night, and also made autorickshaw fares prohibitively expensive. “I usually travel by Uber, Ola or hailed autorickshaws. I was charged Rs250 for an auto ride from Tulsibaug to my home near Neelayam Chowk, a journey that normally costs Rs30-35 and takes 5-10 minutes. The driver said he was charging extra because roads were closed and there was a lot of traffic. It was fair considering his travel expenses, but unfair for me,” she said.Kinnaree Joshi, a student from Navi Peth, said, “There are a lot of Ganapati pandals on main roads right now. Also, most roads around here are one-ways. With those main roads blocked, everyone is taking alternative routes, causing massive traffic jams. A commute that usually takes 10 minutes is taking over 30-45 minutes. I had a lecture at 11am on Wednesday, hardly 15 minutes away from my home. But I got stuck in congestion for nearly an hour and missed it.”Narayan Peth resident Vidyanand Suhas Bapat said the impact of festival restrictions was particularly difficult in the old city, where roads are already narrow and pandals occupy a significant portion of the available road space. “Peth areas comprise the oldest parts of Pune city — the roads are already narrow because of old construction. The festival pandals take up more than half of the road in several places. Public transport is affected well before the festival and remains so until the pandals are completely removed,” he said.Bapat said road closures imposed because of the crowds visiting pandals had further restricted movement. “Employees who have to go to work are forced to walk long distances. From the Peth areas towards Sarasbaug, for instance, they have to walk more than a kilometre before they can get vehicular transport,” he said.He also raised concerns over medical emergencies in the densely built-up areas. “In several places, the roads are not wide enough for an ambulance to enter. There have been cases where a family could not even take a dead body out because of the access problems. One such specific incident happened last year,” Bapat said.
