A major traffic jam has been reported on the Pune-Bengaluru highway in Satara on Saturday morning, the first day of the grand Ganesh festival in Maharashtra. The congestion may be due to the long weekend and villagers traveling for Ganeshotsav. Queues of vehicles are visible, causing significant delays for motorists.
Queues of vehicles have lined up ahead of Khambatki Ghat in Satara leading to a complete standstill since early morning. The ghat remains heavily congested.
Alongside Ganesh devotees, other motorists are also affected by the traffic jam. The congestion has severely slowed traffic on this route.
The 10-day Ganesh festival began in Maharashtra with idols of the deity being installed in homes and at public pandals across the state amid fanfare and gaiety.
Devotees thronged vegetable and flower markets, sweet shops and roadside stalls for buying flowers, puja materials, sweets and decorative items.
In Mumbai, around 15,000 police personnel besides senior officials have been deployed for security during the 10-day festival.
As many as 32 Deputy Commissioners of Police, 45 Assistant Commissioners, 2,435 officials, 12,420 constables, home guards and personnel of the State Reserve Police Force, Rapid Action Force and Riot Control Unit will be on the streets, an official said.
More than 2,500 Ganesh mandals and lakhs of households in the financial capital of the country will be celebrating the festival.
Authorities received 3,358 applications from Ganesh mandals, and permission to put up pandals was granted to 2,635 mandals as on Friday, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said.
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