Festive rush brings vehicles to a standstill, causing severe inconvenience to commuters.

As Diwali festivities kick off, the Pune–Nashik Highway witnessed massive traffic congestion, leaving commuters stranded for hours. Long queues of vehicles stretched across several kilometres on Friday, with Narayangaon among the worst-hit areas.

The surge in traffic comes as people throng markets for Diwali shopping or set out on weekend getaways with friends and family. The festive rush has choked key routes leading out of Pune, turning the usually smooth highway into a crawl. Passengers and drivers alike reported immense hardship, with travel times nearly doubling.

According to officials, the transport department has been making continuous efforts to ease the gridlock, but with limited success. V

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