Prateek Tanmay
3 min readPuneJul 23, 2026 11:46 AM IST
The Pune City Traffic Police issued a traffic advisory ahead of Thursday’s protest march in connection with the Maharashtra Bandh called by Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) in support of students protesting in Delhi.
The police said temporary traffic diversions and congestion are expected on several major roads in the central part of the city from 12 pm onwards.
They said traffic arrangements will be modified as required based on the march’s movement and appealed to citizens to cooperate by using alternative routes and following instructions.
The march is expected to start at around 12 pm and conclude by evening.
“Students in Delhi had sat on a hunger strike. It was a question of their future, and they were fighting for it. Due to the NEET paper leak, the exams were held again. Even in that, there was a major mess-up. The only demand of the students in this was that action should be taken against the Education Minister and those who leaked the paper. The government did not take any action against them, however, RSS-BJP inhumanely took action against the students,” VBA Chief Prakash Ambedkar said in an X post Wednesday.
March route
According to the Pune traffic police advisory, the march will begin from Lal Mahal and proceed via Daruwala Bridge, Narpatgiri Chowk and Bolai Mata Temple before culminating at the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar statue near Sassoon Hospital.
Roads likely to be affected
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Traffic movement is expected to be affected on Ganesh Road, Kelkar Road, Shivaji Road, and Nehru Road during the march.
Alternative routes
To minimise disruption, the traffic police have suggested the following diversions:
For Laxmi Road: Motorists travelling from Daruwala Bridge should proceed towards Dulya Maruti, then take a right to reach their destination.
For Ganesh Road: Commuters should travel via Lal Mahal–Phadke Haud–Surya Hospital–15 August Chowk.
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For Kelkar Road: Traffic should be diverted through ABC Chowk–Phutka Buruj–Surya Hospital.
For Shivaji Road: Motorists are advised to use Jangli Maharaj Road, Riverbed Road and Tilak Road.
For Nehru Road: Commuters should access the area via Ganesh Road or through Banerjee Chowk–Nehru Memorial.
Appeal to commuters
The traffic police urged citizens to avoid using Ganesh Road whenever possible, as heavy traffic congestion is expected along the march route.
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The police asked commuters to plan their journeys in advance, use the designated alternative routes and comply with directions issued by traffic police personnel to ensure smooth traffic movement.
