Traffic comes to standstill as rain hits city, ghat areas

Pune: Just a few millimetres of rainfall in Pune city on Friday brought traffic to a grinding halt across multiple areas including Vimannagar, Tathawade underpass, Sangamwadi bridge, Sancheti Chowk and Ghole Road, among others. Heavy to very heavy rains in ghats also caused a landslide near Borghat on the Mumbai-bound lane of the Pune-Mumbai Expressway, causing extensive traffic snarls, commuters reported on X.

While Pune city saw subdued rainfall activity, heavy rains continued to lash the ghat sections in Pune, Satara and Raigad, as well as the catchment areas of dams in the 24 hours ending 8.30 am on Friday.

Tamhini Ghat, which connects Pune with areas in the Konkan region, recorded the highest rainfall at 210mm, followed by Kurvande (147mm), Davdi (144mm), Pophali (141mm), Lonavla (137mm), Koyna (Navja, 101mm). Mahabaleshwar received 140 mm during this period.

A highway police official told TOI, “Every Friday we see slow-moving traffic on the expressway due to weekend rush. The landslide that occurred at Borghat at 6 pm was cleared and not the primary cause of traffic disruption. Traffic was slow-moving on the Pune-bound lane from 6 pm to 9 pm.”

In Pune city, traffic crawled in several areas, significantly increasing travel times. “I was stuck in traffic for almost 25 minutes in NIBM and Salunke Vihar areas. I was heading out for a meeting but missed it,” said Ajay Patil, an NIBM resident.

Priya Gupta, a daily commuter to FC Road, said, “Traffic was moving at a snail’s pace on Tilak Road, adding over 15 minutes to my journey.” A commuter from Vimannagar said, “There was slow-moving traffic on Airport Road with long queues of vehicles at signals. Traffic police on duty and working signals were of little help.”

IMD data showed that between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm on Friday, Shivajinagar received just 2.9mm of rainfall, Pashan 3.1mm, Lohegaon 5.2mm, Chinchwad 8mm, Lavale 6mm and Koregaon Park 4mm. Mahabaleshwar received 43mm, while Santacruz recorded 74mm, Nashik 14mm and Solapur 4mm.

IMD has forecast moderate rains for Pune city over the weekend, with extremely heavy rainfall in the ghats on Saturday.



Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays, public holidays, and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.