Yearend surge of visitors triggers traffic snarls at famous tourist spots

Kolhapur: Holiday crowds seeking yearend getaways have gathered at Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani and the Konkan coast, leading to massive traffic congestion across the state's popular tourist corridors. Major landmarks such as Venna Lake, Kas Plateau and the beaches of Ganpatipule and Malwan are currently at capacity. This surge in visitors has overwhelmed local infrastructure, turning standard commutes into lengthy ordeals for those traveling during the Christmas and New Year break.Travel times have increased significantly, with the 120-km journey from Pune to Mahabaleshwar now stretching to nearly four hours. On the Pune-Bengaluru National Highway, the situation is further complicated by ongoing infrastructure projects, including road widening and flyover construction. These works have created severe bottlenecks at Karad, Malkapur, and Peth Naka, adding at least an hour of delay for motorists navigating the highway.Khushi Oswal, a tourist from Bhawani Peth area of Pune enjoying her vacation at Mahabaleshwar, said, "We got stuck in heavy traffic at Khed Shivapur toll plaza, then at the toll plaza at Panchgani and then near Mapro Garden and further ahead at Venna Lake. A usual 2-hour drive took us over 4 hours on Saturday."Hotel and resort prices at these tourist destinations have also skyrocketed. Almost all the resorts at various beaches in Konkan are full until January 4.Omkar Jadhav, a resident of Mhalunge in Pune, said, "I got my leaves approved at the last moment due to which I could make my bookings in advance. After contacting nearly 60 plus resorts at beaches like Talashil, Achra, Kashid, Ganpatipule, Vengurla and Malvan over the last two days, I finally found a room at Shiroda Beach that too due to a last moment cancellation by some family. For a Rs2,000 room, I had to pay Rs8,000 as the prices have gone up. The beach is full of people and a large number of tourists from Kolhapur, Pune and Mumbai have arrived here."