Pune | September 10, 2026
Ganeshotsav mandaps and tableaux have further narrowed already congested roads across Pune, disrupting traffic in the central peth areas and several suburbs, according to a report by Loksatta-Pune. PMPML buses and shared rickshaws have been getting stuck on constricted routes, while some roads have become inaccessible to cars.
The congestion has been reported in the central peths as well as areas including Shivajinagar, Sinhagad Road and Katraj. The report attributed the disruption to mandaps being erected along roads that were already narrowed by encroachments, roadside food stalls, irregularly parked vehicles and continuous traffic movement.
The report said several mandaps and tableaux appear to have been built in violation of a rule that limits a mandap’s size to one-third of the road width. With the available carriageway reduced further, vehicle queues have formed on roads that do not have enough width to absorb the festival-related activity and regular traffic at the same time.
The road closures and bottlenecks have also affected public transport operations. PMPML buses and shared rickshaws have been unable to move freely through some narrow streets, creating delays and forcing vehicles to negotiate crowded stretches. Passengers travelling to metro stations have also faced difficulty reaching them because of the congestion around connecting roads.
Traffic police have been deployed to manage vehicle movement, but the report said the pressure on personnel has increased as they attempt to create passages through crowded roads. A traffic police officer quoted by Loksatta said motorists continued to disregard instructions, making it difficult to give vehicles a clear route through the affected areas.
The disruption is occurring in streets where traffic capacity was already constrained before the festival structures were installed. In the central parts of Pune, limited road width, encroachments, roadside commercial activity and parked vehicles have long competed for the same public space. The addition of mandaps has reduced the space available for moving vehicles during a period when local traffic is also affected by Ganeshotsav activity.
The report has called attention to the need for action against mandaps that do not comply with road-width requirements. It did not provide details of specific enforcement operations, the number of structures involved, the roads formally closed or any traffic-diversion plan issued by the authorities.
For commuters, the immediate impact has been slower movement on routes used by buses, shared rickshaws and private vehicles, along with more difficult access to metro stations. The report did not state when the affected mandaps would be removed or whether the traffic restrictions would continue through the festival period.
