HIA highlights importance of future planning
Pune: Members of the Hinjawadi Industries Association (HIA) appreciated and thanked the efforts made by the State government including Pune Guardian Minister Girish Bapat and District Collector Saurabh Rao for the recent development in Hinjawadi region, which has brought a little ease to people working in Hinjawadi, but has also stressed on the need for planning for the future Hinjawadi.
While addressing a press conference at HIA office in Hinjawadi, Satish Pai, President of HIA said that the recent progress on the development of Hinjawadi is appreciable but advance planning is needed for creating a better Hinjawadi. "About 1.5 lakh IT employees are working in the IT park and about 2.5 lakh people reach Hinjawadi from other regions on a daily basis in Hinjawadi. Our clients frequently point out the visible mess outside the IT park which has world class infrastructure," added Pai.
The members highlighted that need to have a strong and diverse road infrastructure blended with metro rail connectivity will help development in Hinjawadi. The HIA which was established in 2008 completed 10 years of operation for the betterment of Hinjawadi.
Speaking about problems in Hinjawadi, Lt Col Yogesh Joshi (Retd) said that there is need to have a dedicated lane for buses from Wakad bridge to Shivaji Chowk. "We did start with the dedicated lane and had provided five traffic wardens to operate the dedicated lane but due to various problems, it is not been maintained. There is a need for strict enforcement from the traffic department to maintain the dedicated lane," added Joshi.
HIA members also highlighted the poor road condition between Chande to Maan which falls under Zilla Parishad. "Currently, MIDC has repaired the road by filling potholes but it will hardly last and we need a permanent solution," said an HIA member.
Pai said that there is need to have six-lane roads to Hinjawadi considering the future needs. Of the 105 companies in Hinjawadi, about 85 are members of HIA. Speaking about security in Hinjawadi, Joshi said that after the molestation incident of an IT employee in Chande-Nande village they have asked Pune city and rural police officials for patrolling in the area. "The IT park is yet to come under CCTV surveillance which is stuck due to financial reasons," added Joshi.
Other issues like waste management, lack of public toilets, cleanliness continue to bother HIA.
Col Charanjeet Bhogal (Retd), Chief Operating Officer of HIA said that they are in talks with a private company for cleanliness of roads from Wakad to Mind Tree Chowk. "Local residents have made the IT park a dumping ground and we are trying to rope in a private company to clean roads," added Bhodal.
Anil Patwardhan of HIA said that there is a need for all government and non-government agencies to come on a common platform to resolve problems of Hinjawadi.
