Weeks after govt’s assurances on infra woes, Hinjewadi IT hub in Pune struggles with craters, congestion and chaos

“Citizens in this area have been pursuing the matter with the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) and the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) but to no avail. Travelling through these roads has become a risky proposition. In view of the nightmare faced by citizens, I urge the government to improve the state of roads in this area,” Sule added.

During heavy rain in the area two months ago, IT professionals and commuters had lashed out against the authorities after the roads here first got waterlogged before turning slushy and unmotorable in some areas and riddled with potholes and craters in others, leading to long traffic snarls. This had even prompted the state government to step in.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who is also the Pune District Guardian Minister, visited the area and expressed the fear that the IT hub of Hinjewadi would move out of Maharashtra if things are not improved quickly. “If things do not improve, Hinjewadi would move to Bengaluru and Hyderabad,” he had said in July after visiting the area for the second time in 15 days.

He added, “I will be visiting Hinjewadi to take stock of the progress made every 15 days. Officials should not allow any obstructions from anyone while improving the infrastructure.”

A decade of troubles

For 10 years now, between 5-7 lakh employees, including IT, industrial staff and those engaged in support services, have been facing nightmarish conditions on the way to and from the IT park. During the peak morning and evening hours, traffic jams and snarls have made life miserable in the entire IT hub, which spans the three villages of Hinjewadi, Maan and Marunji. And during the rain, the roads disappear underwater. Nullahs have remained choked for years and power outages are common.

In June, things spiralled out of hand as rain pounded Pune district. The key roads in Hinjewadi went underwater and IT employees heading home got stranded for hours. “In addition to our daily nightmare of commuting, the rain and waterlogging reached its peak in June,” said Sachin Londhe, who heads the Wakad-Pimpri-Chinchwad Residents’ Development Welfare Association.

Londhe stays just a couple of kilometres away from the firm where he works at in Hinjewadi. “Sometimes, it takes more than three hours to reach home. For half an hour’s travel in Hinjewadi, it takes one and half hours or more. In the evening, the traffic situation in Hinjewadi must be seen to be believed,” he said.

Last month, Londhe filed a petition in the Bombay High Court against the “pathetic infrastructure” in the IT park. He was instrumental in launching the #UnclogHinjewadiPark” campaign which garnered thousands of signatures online.

Last year, it emerged that 37 software companies had left the IT park as infrastructure issues remained unresolved. However, the state Industries Minister clarified that the 37 firms had left over a period of 10 years.

Govt acts, but dissatisfaction remains

The uproar from IT employees rattled the state government which held an urgent meeting with them and announced the setting up of a single point authority to coordinate the efforts of different agencies to address the problems.  Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis himself made the announcement in Mumbai.

“Different government agencies like the PMRDA, MIDC, Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co Ltd (MSEDCL), zilla parishad and the traffic police are supposed to take care of the requirements of Hinjewadi. But due to a lack of effective coordination, they have failed to address our issues, which finally forced the chief minister to set up the single point authority under the divisional commissioner,” Londhe said.

However, software professionals and commuters remain dissatisfied. “Things are improving but should improve at a faster rate. I think more concrete efforts are required in Hinjewadi. Hinjewadi and Pimpri-Chinchwad are closely connected. The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) is trying to include Hinjewadi within its limits. MLA Mahesh Landge has also taken up the issue with the state government but the proposal is still pending,” said Abhay Bhor, president of the Forum for Pimpri-Chinchwad Small Scale Industries’ Association.

‘Land acquisition on, encroachments being removed’

PMRDA officials said all efforts are being directed towards easing the troubles of commuters travelling to the Hinjewadi area. “Our work to remove encroachments for road widening is almost complete. In the last two months, most of the encroachments along the roads have been removed,” said a spokesperson for the PMRDA.

Vasant Naik, Executive Engineer, PMRDA, said they are developing as many as five roads. “The encroachment removal work is almost over. Land acquisition is also underway,” he said, highlighting that even encroachments from nullahs have been removed.

The spokesperson said the five roads which are being widened will be a major game changer when it comes to reducing traffic congestion in the Hinjewadi area. “Currently, these roads are 10-15 metres wide. We will be widening them to 30 metres and more. This will help drastically reduce the congestion in the IT hub. Our land acquisition and process to give compensation to those from whom land has been acquired is underway. Once the process is over, we will immediately start the widening work.”

As for the deplorable state of the roads following last week’s rain, the PMRDA spokesperson said, “Roads were temporarily repaired amid the rain. Once the showers subside, they will be repaired on a long-term basis.”