Pune: Reopening of schools adds to traffic snarls in city

Traffic snarls and congestion were reported since the morning from areas near the entrances of these schools with buses, rickshaws, and private vehicles reaching these parts at the same time.

Traffic police officials said that they have already issued instructions to schools to deploy their staff next to the entrances to handle the flow of the vehicles in the area while additional strength of traffic personnel was being deployed near the educational institutes where massive traffic jams are being reported during the start and end of classes.

Deputy commissioner of police (Traffic) Rahul Shrirame said, “The volume of vehicular traffic has seen a sudden rise in the recent past with almost all economic activities restoring and companies asking employees to work from offices. The reopening of schools has certainly added to this. We have deployed our full strength on the roads and have also stepped patrolling in the areas with possible traffic issues. We have also asked the schools to deploy their own staff at the entry.”

A view from Undri road and Bishop’s School on Monday. Express Photo by Arul Horizon

Shrirame added, “We currently have a strength of 950 traffic cops for Pune City. We have sought an additional staff of around 80 personnel to deal with the increasing traffic flow.”