The ‘No U-Turn’ rule has been reinstated on Wardha Road during peak evening hours, as authorities attempt to ease rising congestion along the busy stretch. The restriction will be enforced daily between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.
Major junctions including Ajni Square, Kriplani Square, Rahate Colony, and Lokmat Square have been witnessing heavy traffic snarls, with officials attributing the pressure to the city’s vehicle population crossing 32 lakh. The situation had further intensified in recent weeks due to road concretisation work between Rahate Colony and Lokmat Square, where traffic movement was restricted to a single lane. To manage the congestion during that period, police had temporarily relaxed the No U-Turn restriction.
Now that both lanes have been reopened, the restriction has been reinstated. “The move is aimed at ensuring smoother traffic movement and reducing inconvenience to commuters,” said Sitabuldi Traffic Zone PI Aniruddha Puri.
Officials believe the measure will help decongest key junctions, especially Rahate Colony and Kriplani Square, while allowing uninterrupted traffic flow for vehicles travelling from Zero Mile Square to Ajni Square via the Sitabuldi flyover during peak hours.
Ajni Square, however, continues to remain a major bottleneck. Long queues frequently extend from the double-decker flyover up to the junction, resulting in bumper-to-bumper traffic and long delays.
While commuters have demanded that the No U-Turn restriction also be implemented at Ajni Square, DCP (Traffic) Lohit Matani said the proposal involves practical difficulties. “Including Ajni Square would require significantly longer diversions for motorists. We have not implemented it for now, but the issue will be revisited to explore feasible solutions,” he said.
The No U-Turn system was first introduced in October 2024 by then DCP (Traffic) Archit Chandak and had earlier shown positive results in reducing congestion. Authorities are hopeful that its reintroduction will once again bring relief to commuters, even as long-term solutions for chronic choke points like Ajni Square continue to be explored.
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