Nashik police have closed key roads in Panchavati from 3 pm to 10 pm for the Ravan Dahan programme at Ramkund on Dasara, asking motorists to avoid the area and use designated alternate routes. The restriction covers the Malegaon Stand–Ramkund stretch, Sardar Chowk and Gadge Maharaj Bridge, where a large crowd is expected to gather.
The closure applies to the road from Malegaon Stand to Ramkund via Sardar Chowk and Gadge Maharaj Bridge, as well as the route from Gadge Maharaj Bridge to Malegaon Stand through Sardar Chowk and Ramkund. Police said the diversions have been put in place to manage traffic around the event and reduce the risk of congestion in Panchavati.
Motorists travelling through the area have been directed to use the Malegaon Stand, Panchavati Karanja, Nimani Bus Stand, Katya Maruti Chowk and Ganeshwadi route. The police have appealed to commuters to avoid crowded locations and follow the diversion plan during the restriction period.
The traffic order does not apply to police vehicles, ambulances, fire brigade vehicles and other emergency-service vehicles. The exemption is intended to ensure that emergency movement continues while access to the event area is regulated.
Senior police officers said the Ravan Dahan programme will be held at the Ramkund Gangaghat ground on the banks of the Godavari. The event involves the burning of an effigy of Ravan and is expected to attract about 10,000 people, making crowd movement and vehicle control a significant operational requirement for the police.
The programme is preceded by a procession of the Lord Ram and Laxman Sena. According to the police, the procession will begin at Chatursampraday Akhada and pass through Malegaon Stand, Panchavati Karanja, Malviya Chowk, Shivaji Chowk and Sita Gumpha Road before reaching the Sri Kalaram temple. It will then move through Sardar Chowk and the Saibaba temple towards the Ramkund Gangaghat parking area.
A Ramleela programme is scheduled at the Ramkund Gangaghat parking area before the Ravan Dahan event. The location also receives visitors for idol immersion, with several mandals expected to come to Ramkund to immerse idols of the Goddess. This combination of procession, public gathering and immersion-related movement has led the police to restrict regular traffic on the connecting roads.
Motorists using Panchavati during the closure period will therefore need to allow additional travel time and follow directions issued by traffic personnel. The restrictions will remain in force from 3 pm to 10 pm, after which normal traffic movement on the affected roads is expected to resume unless local police issue further instructions.
