Farmers' protest hits Mumbai-Bengaluru highway traffic; Google Maps asked to mark stretch closed
Traffic on the Mumbai-Bengaluru National Highway came under disruption on Wednesday after farmers continued their protest near the Maharashtra-Karnataka border. Police advised motorists to avoid the affected stretch and approached Google Maps to have the road marked as closed.
Ranjan Kumar Sharma, Inspector General of Police, Kolhapur Range, urged commuters to take alternative routes until the situation improves.
Police have asked Google Maps to flag the affected section of National Highway 48 as closed due to the ongoing agitation at the Kognoli toll plaza in Karnataka, near the Maharashtra border.
The protest, which began on Tuesday morning, is centred on demands related to sugarcane prices, ethanol rates and other issues. It has disrupted vehicles travelling from Kolhapur and other parts of Maharashtra towards Belagavi and Bengaluru.
According to the office of Dr Shivaji Pawar, Superintendent of Police (Highway), Pune Range, there was no improvement in the situation as of Wednesday morning.
Authorities have advised people to avoid NH-48 unless travel is essential, warning that the ongoing agitation has caused traffic congestion and that normal movement may take some time to resume.
Sharma said commuters would be notified when the situation improves.
Police have suggested two alternative routes for motorists. The first runs through Satara, Rahimatpur, Vita, Tasgaon, Miraj, Gokak and Belagavi. The second passes through Satara, Karad, Islampur, Ashta, Miraj, Kagwad, Gokak and Belagavi.
The police have also requested Google Maps to notify users about the closure, provide information on congestion and delays, and avoid routing vehicles through the affected section while the protest continues. The platform has been asked to recommend alternative routes to help commuters reach their destinations, Sharma said.
The request was made keeping in mind the safety of long-distance passenger vehicles and heavy goods vehicles using the highway, he added.
Police will notify Google Maps when traffic returns to normal, allowing the platform to remove the closure advisories, the officer said.
Sharma said traffic police and local police personnel had been deployed along the alternative routes to facilitate movement. He urged commuters who cannot postpone their journeys to use the suggested diversions. (with inputs from PTI)
