Punekars face significant changes to their daily commute this week as the highly anticipated Pune Book Festival 2025 officially commenced from Saturday. Due to the massive event being held on the Fergusson College premises, the city’s Traffic Police have announced diversions on two of the most critical arteries, Jangli Maharaj Road (JM Road) and Fergusson College Road (FC Road).
The traffic restrictions will be in effect daily from 9 am to 10 pm, starting today, December 13, and continuing through December 21.Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Himmat Jadhav, issued an official circular outlining the changes, predicting a huge turnout for the nine-day literary celebration.
“We anticipate attendance figures similar to past editions, which crossed 10 lakh visitors,” the DCP said.
Organised by the National Book Trust (NBT), India, in collaboration with local partners, the Pune Book Festival has rapidly become one of the largest book fairs in the country. It aims to foster a reading culture and promote creative expression. The 2025 edition features hundreds of stalls offering diverse titles in Marathi, Hindi, and English.
Beyond book sales, the festival is packed with author interactions, literary discussions, workshops, and storytelling sessions, drawing writers and intellectuals from across the nation. Special initiatives, like the popular “Shantata Puneakar Vachat Ahet” (Silence, Punekars Are Reading), further cement the festival’s cultural significance. Entry is free for all visitors.
Key Traffic Diversions (Dec 13-21)
To manage the expected congestion, the following alternative routes have been mandated:
JM Road to Karve Road: Commuters must take a left turn at Balgandharva Chowk and proceed via Nadipatra Road and Mahadev Mandir to reach their desired destination.
FC Road to Shivajinagar (from Karve Road): Vehicles must proceed from Nal Stop to Law College Road and then use the Senapati Bapat Road (SB Road) corridor to reach Shivajinagar.
Visitors coming to the book festival are advised to enter Fergusson College through Gate Number 3 (from Sant Tukaram Maharaj Paduka Chowk) and use the designated parking within the college premises.
Gate Number 4 is reserved for exiting vehicles. Pedestrians can use Gate Number 2 for entry. Free visitor parking is also available at the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) parking lot in front of Gate 2 and within the Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce (BMCC) premises.
