Pune: The civic body has issued detailed guidelines as mandals start to prepare for Ganeshotsav next month.The administration has told mandals to not block entire roads while making pandals and leave space for vehicles and pedestrians. Organisers have to seek permissions from Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and traffic police before starting any work. The civic body has also told mandals to repair roads after removing pandals.Over 3,000 mandals celebrate the festival every year in the city. They make pandals along the roads or in open spaces. Locations of most pandals are fixed, barring changes in designs based on revised road alignments.Commuters have demanded that the authorities and mandals prepare a comprehensive plan for traffic management over the next one month to include Dahi Handi and Ganesh festival. PMC has announced a joint meeting of mandals next week, wherein organisers and members are likely to discuss the celebration plans and options to handle the traffic during festive days.Resident of Shukrawar Peth Prakash Jadhav said the administration should prepare a traffic plan for main roads. If these get blocked, smaller lanes in the vicinity face congestion. The authorities should provide temporary parking lots outside the city’s central areas, he added.
