Pune Grand Tour : International Cycling Competition Buzz in Pune; Schools Closed Today, Major Traffic Changes
Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad cities are set to be vibrant with the excitement of an international sports event today. The fourth stage of the 'Pune Grand Tour' international cycling competition is taking place in the city today (Friday, January 23), and against this backdrop, the administration has made significant changes to the traffic arrangements. To avoid inconvenience to students, a holiday has been declared for all government and private schools within the Pune Municipal Corporation limits.
According to the information provided by Joint Commissioner of Police Ranjan Kumar Sharma and Additional Commissioner of Police Manoj Patil at the press conference, this cycle race is likely to cause significant traffic congestion as it will pass through the central and crowded parts of the city. Therefore, the district authorities have decided to keep schools closed. To ensure the competition proceeds peacefully and smoothly, a large contingent of 4,381 police personnel, 12 Deputy Commissioners of Police, as well as traffic police and volunteers, have been deployed.
This cycle race will start in the morning from the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi and will conclude at Balgandharva Rangmandir. From 9 AM to 6 PM, all types of vehicles will be prohibited on the 75 to 95-kilometer-long route of the competition.
The race will traverse through important areas such as Radha Chowk (Baner), Sus Road, Pashan, Pune University Chowk, Senapati Bapat Road, Karve Road, Vanaz, Nal Stop, Tilak Road, and Appa Balwant Chowk. Particularly, roads at Pashan, Law College Road, and Satoti Chowk will be completely closed as needed from 12 PM to 4 PM.
Deputy Commissioner of Traffic Department, Himmat Jadhav, has appealed to citizens not to park any vehicles on the race route. Spectators are also encouraged to stay behind the barricades and cheer for the athletes. The administration has urged citizens to use alternative routes and cooperate.