Citizens and political activists in Pune are urging the city police and civic administration to allocate dedicated parking spaces during the upcoming 10-day Ganesh festival. Nitin Kadam, representing the Rashtravadi Urban Cell, has written to the city police commissioner proposing the use of school and college grounds in central areas as parking lots to alleviate the strain on roads. Kadam also suggested exploring the possibility of altering school timings during the festival. He proposed that schools could extend their hours until 4 pm, after which their infrastructure, such as grounds and open spaces, could be utilized for parking. This would not only help students avoid traffic chaos but also provide space for devotees to park their vehicles.
Regular commuters have voiced concerns over the significant occupation of road space for festival decorations each year. Vijay Bhate, a resident of Shukrawar Peth, highlighted the issue of illegal vendors and food stalls occupying roadside and footpath areas. He emphasized the need for comprehensive planning by the administration to address traffic movement and the setup of temporary stalls.
Pune witnesses over 1500 Ganesh mandals erecting pandals of various sizes across the city during the 10-day festival. Consequently, most roads in the city's central areas experience heavy traffic, particularly on weekends as people prepare for the festivities. Shekhar Dev, a Shivajinagar resident, expressed concern about the existing traffic chaos and anticipated that the situation could worsen during the festive days. He urged riders to follow traffic rules and avoid haphazard parking.
To address these challenges, MP Vandana Chavan recommended deploying more traffic wardens to maintain traffic flow. Additionally, she suggested introducing smaller buses operated by the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) on central routes to ease congestion.
The civic administration is actively exploring options to provide temporary parking lots in open areas and on open grounds closer to central areas. A PMC official stated that the Pune Municipal Corporation, in collaboration with the traffic police, is developing a traffic management plan for the festival. The administration has also issued advisories to Ganesh mandals, urging them not to obstruct entire roads and to reserve space for the movement of emergency vehicles. Mandals are expected to deploy volunteers at pandals to prevent overcrowding and ensure smooth traffic flow.
In summary, citizens and activists in Pune are calling for dedicated parking spaces during the Ganesh festival, emphasizing the need to utilize school and college grounds in central areas. Traffic congestion caused by festival decorations and stalls has raised concerns among residents and commuters. The civic administration is actively exploring options to address these issues and is working on a comprehensive traffic management plan. With the festival approaching, efforts are underway to ensure a smoother experience for residents and devotees while maintaining traffic orderliness and safety.
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