The videos of water gushing on the roads and a Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) bus piercing through the water-laden road in Hinjawadi Phase II remind residents of West Pune of the unfulfilled promises along with a multimodal transport hub, which was given the green signal by the PMC Standing Committee in 2022.
The call for a transit hub comes amid complaints of traffic woes and inadequate urban public transport infrastructure, which continue to plague the ease of living for Hinjawadi residents, who play a pivotal role in India’s fast-growing economy.
On June 4, FPJ reported that MSRTC started new Shivneri buses from Hinjawadi Phase 3 to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Kolhapur, and Nashik to aid weekend travel for IT employees. Although techies welcomed the move, they stressed that a dedicated multimodal transit hub remains the real need of the hour, as the absence of it will lead to more traffic woes due to commuters standing on the road.
FITE seeks multimodal transit hub near the Balewadi–Hinjawadi area
The Forum for IT Employees (FITE), a vocal advocate for IT workers’ rights, has been pressing the demand for a standalone multimodal transit hub near Hinjawadi to ease the daily commute of IT professionals and residents of Hinjawadi and nearby areas. Pawanjit Mane, a member of FITE, told FPJ, “A multimodal transit hub near the Balewadi–Hinjawadi area is the need of the hour.”
Hinjawadi's IT park, the first to be developed in Pune, currently employs lakhs of IT professionals, yet the lack of a proper standalone transit hub compels employees to rely on overcrowded service roads and patchy bus services. They are forced to catch buses under the Hinjawadi bridge because there is no designated place for public transport.
“This is the same road through which government authorities, MPs, and MLAs travel between Mumbai and Pune. Are they blind to the huge traffic mismanagement on this stretch, for instance, in Baner, Hinjawadi, and Wakad?” Mane added.
Mane recalled that discussions about a multimodal transit hub at Balewadi were echoed in PMC meetings back in 2022. The site earmarked for the ₹1,000 crore project is along the Katraj–Dehu Road bypass to ease access to the Mumbai and Satara–Kolhapur highways.
"The project is supposed to integrate various transport services under one roof, including a bus terminus for MSRTC, a PMPML depot, parking space for private buses, and metro-related services like shuttle bus services on the Hinjawadi–Shivajinagar route," he added.
Project on paper now
After a brief tussle between PMC and the Pune Smart City Development Corporation Limited (PSCDCL) to develop the transit hub at Balewadi, PMC wrested control of the project from PSCDCL, which had drafted initial project reports but struggled to secure land. The PMC now aims to develop the multimodal transit hub project on its own, and the proposal has been forwarded to the state government for further approval.
Mane said, “At this moment, the multimodal transport hub remains on paper, with no development on the ground.” The 10 acres of land meant for the project have not been earmarked, or rather, we do not see any such land for the project to materialize, he added.
Mohit Kavitkar, an employee at a consultancy firm in Hinjawadi Phase II, said, “A multimodal hub in Hinjawadi, near Phase 3 or Maan, can be a game-changer for commuters and residents near Balewadi and Hinjawadi areas.”
FPJ reported on June 4 about the start of new Shivneri bus services from Hinjawadi Phase 3 (TCS Circle) to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Kolhapur, and Nashik by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to help IT employees in Pune who travel to their hometowns on weekends. “We definitely welcome the addition of new bus services by MSRTC, but the need of the hour is the promised dedicated multimodal hub soon,” Mane remarked.
FPJ’s repeated calls to PMC to understand the non-execution of the multimodal transit hub at Balewadi remained unanswered. FITE’s push for a Hinjawadi transit hub aligns with the broader urban planning agenda for Pune city. “We’ll keep raising our voice until our demand for a multimodal transit hub at Hinjawadi gets the infrastructure it deserves,” a member of FITE vowed. At present, the Balewadi hub’s approval offers only a glimmer of hope for IT employees and nearby residents, but FITE and residents are keeping the pressure on authorities for the unfulfilled promise.
