Maratha quota protest: Mumbai on edge; traffic chokes CSMT, buses stuck for hours | Mumbai News

NEW DELHI: Mumbai Traffic Police has issued an advisory and ordered road closures across the city ahead of Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil’s indefinite hunger strike scheduled at Azad Maidan on Friday.Thousands from the Maratha community thronged the roads leading to Azad Maidan.BEST buses and other vehicles remained stuck for over 30 minutes during the morning peak hours, an official said. Senior police officers rushed to the CSMT area and appealed to Jarange’s supporters to clear the roads and allow traffic to move. Efforts are underway to remove the protesters from the roads and restore traffic flow, the official added.Jarange, who began his march from his village in Jalna district on Wednesday, reached Mumbai on Friday morning accompanied by hundreds of vehicles. He has called for the protest to press for Maratha community reservation.Commuters Advised To Avoid CST, Eastern FreewayIn a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Mumbai Police urged citizens to avoid routes leading to CST and its surrounding areas due to anticipated congestion. Motorists were specifically advised to avoid the Eastern Freeway and plan alternate routes.“Due to political agitation, people are requested to avoid going towards CST and its surrounding area. Due to agitation at Azad Maidan, avoid using Freeway. Please plan accordingly,” the traffic advisory read.“Due to agitation at Azad Maidan avoid using free way please plan accordingly,” another traffic advisory read.

According to the traffic police, the following roads will remain closed for all vehicular movement except emergency services starting 6 am Friday until further orders:

An official said the order was issued by the additional commissioner of police (Traffic) on Thursday evening.(With inputs from agencies)