City ready to welcome Palkhi processions

PUNE: Traffic on some major and internal roads in the city will be closed and diverted on Wednesday (June 26) for the Palkhi processions of Sant Tukaram Maharaj and Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj which will be arriving on Wednesday and will halt in the city on Thursday. 

The Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi will leave the Vitthal Rakhumai temple in Akurdi on Wednesday morning and pass through Chinchwad, Pimpri, Kasarwadi, Dapodi, Khadki and Shivajinagar. 

The highway stretch will therefore remain closed in phases when the Wari pass through the stretch. The Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi will also leave on Wednesday morning from Alandi Road. The roads which will be closed are Dighi Magazine to Alandi, Vadmukhwadi to Alandi Road-Panjarpol Chowk, Bhosari, Kalas Phata to Alandi, Vishrantwadi to Alandi Road junction, Sadalbaba Dargah to Patil Estate Road, Chandrama Chowk to Alandi Road, Holkar Bridge to Chandrama Chowk and Sapras Chowky. 

The two palkhis will converge at Patil Estate Chowk on the Pune-Mumbai highway. Thereafter, the two palkhis will follow each other while passing through the Patil Estate Chowk to Engineering College Chowk, Sancheti Chowk, Simla Office Chowk, Veer Chapekar Chowk and go via Fergusson College Road from Dnyaneshwar Paduka Chowk, Tukaram Paduka Chowk, Khandujibaba Chowk, Tilak Chowk, Vijay Theatre Chowk (Laxmi Road), Sevasadan Chowk, Belbaug Chowk, Budhwar Chowk, Pasodya Vithoba temple, Moti Chowk, Sonya Maruti Chowk, Dulya Maruti Chowk and Nana Peth Chowky. 

The Tukaram Palkhi will halt at Nivdunga Vithoba temple in Nana Peth and the Dnyaneshwar Palkhi will halt at Palkhi Vithoba Temple in Bhavani Peth till Thursday. The traffic will be diverted and parking on the procession route will be banned. 

The warkaris and the palkhis will halt in the city on Wednesday and Thursday and leave for Pandharpur on Friday morning. 

The Sant Tukaram Maharaj palkhi will go via Solapur Road while the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi will go via Saswad and Jejuri. 

The road from Range Hills to Sancheti Chowk, Khandojibaba Chowk to Veer Chapekar Chowk to Wakdewadi under pass, Shaniwar Wada to SG Barve Chowk, Deccan traffic division to Modern College Road will be closed down. Officials of traffic division said that people should use the internal roads and alternative routes to reach their destinations. 

Traffic police said that commuters can use internal roads at Telco Road, Pimpri Camp Road, Bhau Patil Road, Breman Chowk, Aundh, RTO Road, Bundgarden Road, SB Road, Jail Road, Dhanori-Markal Road to reach their destination. 

START JOURNEY IN ADVANCE
- Traffic police have appealed people heading to ST stand, railway station and airport to start their journey in advance.
- Traffic police control room: 020-26122000/ 020-26208225

ACCESSIBLE ROADS
a. Pune University Circle Chowk, Nal Stop, Mhatre bridge, Golibar Maidan, Race Course, Empress Garden, Koregaon Park 
b. Pune University Circle Chowk, Nal Stop, Mhatre Bridge, Jedhe Chowk to Katraj
c. Pune University Circle Chowk, Nal Stop, Mhatre Bridge, Jedhe Chowk to Ram Manohar Lohiya Udyaan to Mundhwa

WEB PAGE FOR PALKHIS’ INFO
- A web page has been created by the Pune traffic police to provide with live information about the movement of two palkhis of Sant Dnyaneshwar and Sant Tukaram Maharaj. It will also give details of road closures as well as traffic diversions from Monday. The web page can be accessed at https://changebhai.in/palkhi2019/
- Similarly, people can also download Ashadi Wari 2019 mobile application through Google Play Store.