Mumbai-Goa highway jam near Mangaon-Indapur strands Ganesh devotees for fourth day

The journey to Konkan for Ganeshotsav is once again passing through hours of traffic jams for chakarmanis heading home. Traffic congestion persisted on the Mumbai-Goa four-lane national highway for the fourth consecutive day, leaving Ganesh devotees stuck in their vehicles for hours. Potholes, incomplete road work, disorderly traffic and poor traffic planning mean a journey that normally takes three to four hours is now stretching to eight to twelve hours.

The worst conditions on the highway are in the Mangaon-Indapur stretch, where vehicles are queued for five to ten kilometres and crawling forward at a snail's pace. Lakhs of chakarmanis have set out for Konkan for Ganeshotsav, putting enormous pressure of vehicles on the highway. Incomplete work and gaps in traffic management on the highway are directly affecting the devotees.

Despite a ban on heavy vehicles, their movement in some places is adding to the jam. Traffic police and the administration are continuing efforts to improve the flow, but the growing volume of vehicles and the highway's poor condition are making the task difficult even for them. One-way traffic and alternative routes have been suggested in some places, but the jam on the main highway has still not cleared fully.

Chakarmanis who set out enthusiastically for darshan of Bappa are facing considerable trouble because of this delay on the highway, and their anger over the complete disruption of traffic planning during Ganeshotsav is clearly visible.

The intensity of the jam is highest in the Mangaon area, where vehicle queues stretch for several kilometres in some places. A large number of vehicles are moving towards Mahad, but the slow pace of traffic is forcing long waits for travellers. Chakarmanis travelling to Konkan with their families are bearing the brunt of the jam, and the much longer time being taken has thrown off the travel plans of many people trying to reach their villages.