Festive weekend witnesses heavy rise of tourists at several tourist places in Pune

Pune : There was a significant influx of tourists throughout the city and district over the weekend before Christmas on Monday, December 25, from Tamhini Ghat and Mahabaleshwar to Shaniwarwada and Sinhagad Fort. On Monday, the Sinhagad Fort parking lot was full as early as 7.30 am for the third day in a row, resulting in lengthy lines of cars and tourists caught in traffic on the ghat road.

A forest department official stated that on Sunday, traffic on the Ghat Road held up long lines of cars and tourists for nearly two hours. There were traffic jams because the tourists parked their cars on the tiny ghat road. Due to the heavy traffic and irate tourists, even one-way traffic came to a complete stop, and officials from the forest department were essentially powerless.

Over 30,000 tourists visited Sinhagad Fort in three days straight from Saturday to Monday, setting a record. As a result of the high volume of vehicles that came to the fort, all two- and four-wheeler parking lots were full. In the meantime, over 15,000 visitors spent three days, from Saturday to Monday, at Rajgad Fort. In addition to these forts, the Panshet, Warasgaon, and Khadakwasla dam regions were brimming with visitors as people of all ages went out to enjoy the weekend off.

There was a significant crowd at important monuments and places of worship in Pune as well. There was nowhere left to park cars in the city’s central areas as tourists flocked to Shaniwarwada, Lal Mahal, Nana Wada, Mahatma Phule Wada, etc.

A senior police official said that Shaniwarwada is a popular holiday destination for tourists. Many tourists are observed hanging around the Bajirao Road gates, waiting for parking, in the absence of direction signs, information boards, and parking-related staff. There was a traffic jam in this area on Sunday as well because there was nowhere for cars on Bajirao Road to go.