Power outage in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad affects traffic signal system

Traffic police from both the jurisdictions said that traffic control at the junctions was done manually and no major snarls were reported.

The three 'problematic' light points are located on the busiest stretches in the city, through which thousands of vehicles pass daily.

The power outage across Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad from the early hours of Wednesday affected the system of traffic signals in many areas. Traffic police from both the jurisdictions said that traffic control at the junctions was done manually and no major snarls were reported.

A power outage in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and surrounding area was reported early morning on Wednesday due to a fault in the high-tension power lines to the 400 KV substations at Chakan and Lonikand, that developed around 4.30 am. As a result, power supply to Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Lonikand, Wagholi and Chakan areas was completely disrupted. Majority of the power supply was resumed between 12 noon and 1 pm.

A large number of the total 231 traffic signals in Pune city and 90 in Pimpri-Chinchwad jurisdiction remained non-functional during the period. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) for Pune city, Rahul Shrirame said, “Traffic flow at signals that stopped working due to power outage was managed manually. Almost all of our strength of traffic police personnel and officials were deployed at the junctions.”

Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic) for Pimpri-Chinchwad Nandkumar Bhosle Patil said, “Because power was out since morning, there was lesser traffic volume on the streets possibly because of the comparatively lesser number of people going to work. After the power outage, traffic at junctions were managed manually by the traffic branch personnel and wardens. No traffic snarls were reported during the period. As the power supply was restored, the signal function was also restored.”

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories