Residents and IT employees in Pune’s Mhalunge-Hinjawadi corridor have warned of further protest over worsening traffic congestion, inadequate roads, poor street lighting and uncontrolled heavy-vehicle movement, after claiming that assurances given by the Pune Municipal Corporation were not fulfilled.
The Mhalunge Township Residents’ Association has written to the Maharashtra chief minister seeking urgent intervention in the area, which has seen rapid residential expansion because of its proximity to Hinjawadi’s Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park. The association said the existing road network is no longer adequate for the area’s growing population and daily commuter traffic.
According to the report by Loksatta – Pune, congestion is particularly severe during morning and evening office hours, as well as when schools open and close. The residents’ association said the disruption affects students, parents, senior citizens, office employees and local residents, while also restricting the movement of emergency services.
The Mhalunge area has been included in the Pune Municipal Corporation, but residents say several basic transport and civic issues remain unresolved. These include insufficient road capacity, inadequate street lighting and the need for stronger regulation of heavy vehicles using local roads. IT employees and residents had held a march last month over the same concerns, the report said.
The association has called for the urgent development of either the 24-metre road proposed under the regional plan or the 36-metre road proposed under the Mhalunge-Maan town planning scheme. It has also sought the early commencement of work on the Sus-Mhalunge-Hinjawadi road.
The demands extend beyond construction of new roads. Residents have asked the authorities to complete the administrative, technical, land acquisition and funding processes required for the projects and to publish clear information on the date work will begin, the phase-wise implementation plan, the expected completion date and the funds available.
Until the planned roads are completed, the association has sought the deployment of at least 10 traffic wardens during peak hours to manage congestion. The request reflects the immediate operational problems created by a corridor where residential growth and employment-linked travel have advanced faster than the supporting road network.
The residents’ warning places responsibility across multiple institutions involved in planning, road development, land acquisition, traffic management and municipal administration. The report did not provide details of a fresh response from the Pune Municipal Corporation or the state government to the association’s latest letter. The next stated demand is for the authorities to disclose project timelines, funding and implementation milestones while taking temporary steps to keep traffic moving.
