IT employees, local residents and civic groups held a silent march at Pune’s Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park in Hinjawadi on Sunday, protesting deteriorating infrastructure, traffic congestion and inadequate civic services across Hinjawadi, Maan and Marunji.
The peaceful demonstration, described as a “Smart IT City” campaign, began at Infosys Circle and was scheduled to proceed via Shivaji Chowk before ending again at Infosys Circle. Participants carried placards and raised demands related to roads, transport, water supply and coordination among government agencies. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Aaditya Thackeray also joined the protest, according to Loksatta.
The protest brought together local farmers, residents’ welfare associations, the Hinjawadi-Maan-Marunji Infra Forum, the Forum for IT Employees, the Hinjawadi Employees and Residents Trust, and cooperative housing federations from Pimpri-Chinchwad and Mulshi. Organisers said repeated representations to the government had not produced a significant improvement in conditions, leading employees and residents to take to the streets.
Hinjawadi, Maan and Marunji have seen substantial urbanisation, industrial expansion and population growth alongside the expansion of the IT park. Protesters said the growth had not been matched by improvements in roads, public transport, water supply and other civic facilities. The area is divided among several government agencies, and the absence of coordination between them has delayed urban development work, they said.
According to the report, daily traffic congestion affects large numbers of residents, IT employees and students in the area. Protesters also cited damaged roads and continuing water-supply problems, and called for the government to set deadlines for resolving the issues. Their demands include the immediate resolution of land-acquisition obstacles for roads and the prompt launch of the Maan-Shivajinagar Metro service.
The protesters also sought a joint meeting of all relevant government agencies in Hinjawadi chaired by the chief minister, a separate municipal corporation for Hinjawadi, Maan and Marunji, and monthly review meetings under the district collector. Other demands include measures to ease congestion at the Wakad flyover, Bhumkar Chowk, Punawale and Tathawade underground passages, as well as a review of traffic-police staffing.
The group further demanded that two TMC of water storage from Mulshi Dam be allocated for the area and that quarterly reviews be held under the chief minister’s leadership. The report did not include a government response or a confirmed implementation timetable for the demands.
