Pimpri Chinchwad: The police claimed to have reduced the traffic congestion on roads leading to the Rajiv Gandhi information and technology park in Hinjewadi by nearly 30% on Wednesday.It was the first day of the implementation of the ban on heavy vehicles on roads leading to Hinjewadi. However, the IT professionals said that the full impact of the ban will be known on Friday as traffic was slow due to rain on Wednesday.Traffic police inspector Kishore Mhaswade said, “We have begun implementing the ban . Two policemen were deployed at Marunji Y junction and one policeman and one traffic warden were deployed at Bhumkar Chowk.Two traffic policemen and two traffic wardens each were deployed at Kalakhadak Chowk and Dange Chowk during the ban period. Heavy vehicles coming from Wakad flyover and going towards Shivaji Chowk were stopped near the petrol pump and directed towards Spine Road where they halted for the duration of the ban.Heavy vehicles coming from Chinchwad to Dange Chowk on Sangvi-Kiwale BRTS Road were not allowed towards Kalakhadak/ Bhumkar Chowk and instead directed to Kiwale to reach the Mumbai-Pune expressway or Mumbai-Bengaluru highway.“Today being the first day many drivers of heavy vehicles did not know about the ban and had to be diverted or stopped. From tomorrow, we expect that we will need to divert or stop heavy vehicles in lesser numbers,” Mhaswade said.Dnyanendra Hulsure, president of Hinjewadi Employees’ and Residents’ Association said the light rain in the morning made vehicles move slowly, particularly two wheelers.“I saw the traffic police stopping heavy vehicles near Indian Oil petrol pump which was a good measure. We expect the full impact of this new ban on Friday,” he added.Sudhir Deshmukh, an IT professional from Wakad, said, “There was rain in the evening which slowed down the traffic in the IT park. We welcome the ban and feel that its full impact will be known tomorrow if there are no rains.”Pravin Mahadik, an IT professional living in Moshi, said, “Every year, Ganesh idols are immersed on the seventh day of the Ganesh festival which cause long traffic snarls. But today, there was little impact and the traffic moved smoothly. There were no heavy vehicles.”Many approved of the steps taken by the Pimpri Chinchwad police to reduce the traffic congestion in the IT park.

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