Pune: Hundreds of IT employees in Pune’s Hinjewadi – one of India’s most important tech hubs – held a march on Sunday, urging authorities to immediately fix issues that have long plagued the area, including pothole-ridden roads, traffic congestion and poor waste management. They were joined by Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray, who last month had met residents to discuss their problems.Participants said the march was also a reminder to the govt of the assurances it had made last year, after a spate of similar protests were held over the dismal state of infrastructure.“We pay crores of rupees in taxes, but almost every road here is filled with potholes. We don’t even have proper footpaths,” said IT professional Vikas Singh, who was part of the march.Smita Patil, another Hinjewadi resident, said it’s now time authorities took serious note of the area’s infrastructure crisis. “Hinjewadi is a major IT hub of the country. If this place is facing such problems, then something has really gone wrong, somewhere. I’ve been working here for four years. Nothing has changed in that time,” Patil said.The protest came nearly a year after the last monsoon, which had left several parts of Hinjewadi inundated and covered in filth and potholes. Anger was so widespread, residents held meetings with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and then-deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who subsequently tasked PMRDA to coordinate with various agencies, including NHAI and PWD, to fix Hinjewadi’s problems.“That coordination did help resolve several issues, but the larger ones remain,” said Pavanjeet Mane, president of the Forum for IT Employees (FITE). “We had no choice, but to organise Sunday’s march, to show the govt that IT employees too can take to the streets to protest. The repair works and upgrades should be expedited,” Mane said.Thackeray said it was unfortunate that people and companies responsible for creating jobs and generating wealth were now calling for basic services. “Hinjewadi IT Park is India’s premier IT node, yet there are roads filled with potholes, while water and waste management remain inadequate. This is 2026, when we are talking about becoming a developed nation,” he said.He also criticised the government for delays in the Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar Metro corridor. “The Metro line is ready but its inauguration has been delayed because of the government’s inability to get VIP dates. It was supposed to be launched in 2025,” he said.Hinjewadi residents were also joined by scores of others from nearby areas of Pimpri Chinchwad. Sachin Londhe, an IT professional and president of the Pimpri Chinchwad Cooperative Housing Societies Federation, said several people had lost their lives in accidents caused by poor roads.“People who lost loved ones were also part of the march. The roads should be fixed, before more people die,” Londhe said.State govt has now initiated fresh efforts to fix Hinjewadi’s problems. Last Thursday, deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar formed a high-power committee headed by Pune district collector Jitendra Dudi to speed up repairs. Dudi held the committee’s first coordination meeting on Friday and announced the approval of Rs 426 crore for internal roads, while directing the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) to expedite works in its jurisdiction.Hinjewadi falls under the jurisdiction of gram panchayats, while parts of the IT park come under the MIDC. Coordination among multiple agencies, including MIDC, PMRDA, NHAI and local authorities, has been a major hurdle in executing infrastructure projects.
