Pune: 37 IT companies from Hinjawadi relocate out of Maharashtra due to traffic woes

Hinjawadi is a sprawling IT hub in located to the west of Pune, Maharashtra. There are over 150 IT companies here, employing around 5 lakh people.

Hinjawadi in Pune is known as a hub of IT companies, attracting technical professionals from all over the country in search of job opportunities. However, according to a report, 37 companies have moved out of the city due to traffic woes, and more are on the verge of leaving.

Marathi news channel Zee 24 Taas recently reported that 37 companies have moved out of the city due to persistent traffic problems in the IT hub. Many more companies are considering relocation already, reported the channel, quoting Hinjawadi Industries Association (HIA). The representative said that the employees were wasting more than one to one-and-a-half hour daily, each side, while commuting to and from the office. He added that many foreign clients also hesitate to visit Hinjawadi because of this problem.

There are a total of 150 companies in Hinjawadi IT Park, employing about 5 lakh people. Approximately 1 lakh cars ply in Hinjawadi every day, with each car staying on the road for one and a half to two hours due to heavy traffic. As a result, fuel worth lakhs of rupees is being wasted. Additionally, companies lose 25 dollars per hour.

The traffic management infrastructure of Hinjawadi collectively falls on Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA). Since so many agencies are involved, the IT hub has slipped though the gaps and is neglected. This situation has been prevailing for last 10-12 years and now the companies have decided to relocate out of Hinjawadi. Hence it is important that the state government takes it up and finds a solution to the problem. The government should create alternative access points to the IT park from Sus, Balewadi etc. It went on to say neither Maharashtra nor its citizens can afford to loose companies like this.

When contacted, the Industries Minister, Uday Samant said he has no information about the exodus of IT companies from Hinjawadi. He said all efforts are being made to provide best infrastructure to all IT parks in Pune. He further said he will enquire and get information pertaining to the relocation of 37 IT companies from Hinjawadi.

Supriya Sule, under whose constituency Hinjawadi falls, blamed the state government’s neglect. “While Maharashtra’s rightful employment opportunities are going out one after the other, the state government is just watching. Even before this, important industries have gone out. But the government has no time to pay attention to this. Now it has come to light that 37 companies have moved out of Hinjawadi IT Park in Pune. When an industry goes out, so do jobs and the future of the youth. The youth of Maharashtra are struggling to find employment, and this situation is caused by this government, which is careless about sustaining the industry,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

महाराष्ट्राच्या हक्काचे रोजगार एकामागून एक बाहेर जात असताना राज्य सरकार केवळ बघ्याची भूमिका घेत आहे. यापुर्वीही महत्वाचे उद्योग बाहेर गेले, तरुणांच्या हक्काचा रोजगार हिरावून घेतला गेला. परंतु सरकारला याबाबतीत लक्ष घालायला वेळ नाही. आता पुण्यातील हिंजवडी आयटी पार्कमधून ३७ कंपन्या… pic.twitter.com/RlRkRp6jqw

— Supriya Sule (@supriya_sule) May 30, 2024

Many other opposition leaders voiced their concern on the reported exodus of IT companies from Hinjawadi and said that such a migration would lead to unemployment and economic loses for the IT and the state.