Pune News: Hinjawadi IT Park Struggles With Infrastructure Woes, Affecting 500,000 Employees Ahead Of Maharashtra Elections
Pune News: Hinjawadi IT Park Struggles With Infrastructure Woes, Affecting 500,000 Employees Ahead Of Maharashtra Elections
The Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park in Hinjawadi, Pune, is struggling with severe infrastructure issues, affecting over 500,000 employees. Despite being one of India’s largest IT hubs and contributing 60% of Maharashtra’s total IT exports, the park faces problems like dilapidated roads, water scarcity, limited public transport, waste management issues, and inadequate power supply that has persisted for over two decades.
Spread over three phases, the IT Park is home to around 400 IT and IT-enabled service companies. However, residents and employees complain of poor infrastructure, including internal roads in disrepair, traffic congestion, and severe water shortages, forcing societies to spend lakhs on tankers. The exponential growth in housing and real estate has left local infrastructure trailing, with basic amenities like functional footpaths, reliable public transport, and adequate street lighting remaining scarce.
Residents point to poor roads, lack of pedestrian infrastructure, and minimal public transport options, making commuting a daily ordeal. Safety of women employees remains unaddressed, with a need for CCTV cameras and heightened police presence. “Old pavements are damaged, and the few that are intact are encroached upon. The lack of flyovers and foot overbridges to manage traffic flow, combined with minimal public transport options, makes commuting a nightmare,” said Sandeep Yogi, a Hinjewadi resident.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Supriya Sule claimed poor infrastructure is driving companies out of the IT Park. However, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis refuted this, stating companies relocated to tier 2 cities for growth. Some employees acknowledge Sule’s claims, saying lack of infrastructure deters new investment. “Unlike cities like Hyderabad and Bengaluru where governments invest heavily in infrastructure, Pune is losing out. Bengaluru is set to get 100 new IT firms but in Pune, we’re struggling with basics,” an IT professional said anonymously.
With assembly polls approaching, residents await solutions to their grievances. Congress MLA Sangram Thopte and NCP candidate Shankar Mandekar have promised to address the issues. “I am aware of these concerns and have plans to address them,” Thopte said. Mandekar criticized the longstanding neglect of the IT Park by the current administration. “The citizens need a representative who is committed to solving their issues. If elected, I promise to address all these issues, especially those affecting Hinjewadi IT Park,” Mandekar said while talking to media persons while addressing this issue.
The Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park, with over 25 years of operational history, awaits the infrastructure it deserves to secure its future as a leading IT hub. Will the upcoming assembly elections bring the much-needed change?
