India, Oct. 12 -- This being the last weekend before Diwali, Punekars thronged markets to buy sweets, clothes, electronics and home decor items, resulting in severe traffic congestion on roads across the city. On both Saturday and Sunday, major areas including Laxmi Road, Fergusson College Road, J M Road, Aundh, Kothrud, and Hadapsar were choked with serpentine queues of vehicles, making commuting a long-drawn and challenging process. With streets, markets and malls jampacked, traffic came to a crawl in several parts of the city, leaving both motorists and pedestrians frustrated.

Citizens complained about poor traffic management and inadequate police deployment in busy areas. "It took me almost 1.5 hours to cover a distance that usually ...