Many commuters said journeys that normally take 30 to 40 minutes stretched to more than an hour. (Express photo)Incessant rain throughout Thursday brought large parts of Pune to a standstill, with severe traffic congestion reported on several arterial roads during the morning and evening peak hours. Waterlogging at low-lying stretches, slow-moving vehicles and increased traffic volume left commuters stranded for long periods.According to officials from the Pune City Traffic Control Room and local traffic divisions, major snarls were reported on J M Road, Fergusson College Road, Ganeshkhind Road, University Circle, Shivajinagar, Sangamwadi, the Pune railway station area, Swargate, Satara Road, Solapur Road, Nagar Road, Baner Road, Aundh Road and the Katraj–Dehu Road Bypass.Traffic also moved at a crawl on Sinhagad Road, Karve Road, Paud Road, Airport Road, the Wakad and Hinjawadi approach roads, and the Mumbai–Bengaluru Highway passing through the city. Major junctions, including Nal Stop, Bremen Chowk, Chandani Chowk, Sancheti Chowk, Sarasbaug, Hadapsar and Vishrantwadi, witnessed heavy congestion.Office-goers and students were among those caught in the gridlock as vehicle speeds dropped sharply across the city. Many commuters said journeys that normally take 30 to 40 minutes stretched to more than an hour.“Continuous rainfall reduced visibility and further slowed traffic. Waterlogging at a few locations forced motorists to drive cautiously. In the evening, a truck breakdown near Warje bridge worsened congestion in the area,” an officer from a local traffic division said.Traffic police personnel were deployed at key junctions to manually regulate traffic and clear bottlenecks.“We deployed our entire force on the roads. All available traffic personnel were stationed at important intersections to regulate vehicular movement and minimise congestion. Our teams continuously monitored traffic conditions, responded to complaints of waterlogging and implemented diversions wherever required,” a senior Pune Traffic Police officer said.