Pune traffic police have banned daytime entry of goods vehicles into the city’s central Peth markets from October 26 to November 12, citing congestion and pedestrian inconvenience during the Diwali shopping period. Shops in areas including Laxmi Road, Tulshibaug and Mahatma Phule Mandai will be allowed to load and unload goods using light commercial vehicles only between 11 pm and 9 am.
The restriction applies from 9 am to 11 pm, when goods vehicles will not be permitted to enter the identified market areas. The affected locations include Laxmi Road, Kumthekar Road, Kelkar Road, Bajirao Road, Tulshibaug, Mandai, Bohri Ali, Ganesh Peth, Raviwar Peth, Shukrawar Peth, Tapkir Galli and other central parts of Pune.
According to the report by Sakal, the decision was taken as shoppers gather in large numbers in these commercial areas ahead of Diwali. Traffic police said vehicles arriving during the day to deliver goods were creating difficulties for pedestrians and contributing to traffic congestion on roads already carrying high volumes of shoppers and local traffic.
The order allows traders to continue receiving supplies, but shifts the loading and unloading window to overnight and early-morning hours. The permitted operations are limited to light goods vehicles, with the stated time window beginning at 11 pm and ending at 9 am.
Deputy Commissioner of Traffic Police Dr Sandeep Bhajibhakare appealed to traders and vehicle operators to follow the notified timings. The appeal places the immediate responsibility for compliance on shops receiving goods and on drivers bringing supplies into the central markets.
The affected markets form a connected commercial network of traditional shopping streets, wholesale and retail activity, narrow carriageways and high pedestrian movement. During the festive period, the interaction between deliveries, shoppers and through traffic becomes particularly visible at street level. The temporary restriction therefore changes when goods can reach shops rather than stopping supply altogether.
For businesses, the measure means that deliveries planned during normal trading hours will have to be rescheduled before the morning shopping peak or after the evening restriction begins. For traffic police, enforcement will involve keeping goods vehicles out of the listed areas between 9 am and 11 pm until November 12.
The restrictions are scheduled to remain in force through November 12, after which the notified festive-period arrangement is due to end. The traffic police have asked traders and vehicle operators to observe the overnight loading and unloading schedule during the period.
