Pune: Professionals of the information technology sector demanded world class infrastructure and respite from pollution ahead of the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad municipalities elections on Jan 15.Their demands include relief from issues such as broken roads, traffic congestion, unsafe public transport, power failures and neglected civic amenities. They sought dedicated traffic planning, green zones and sustainable urban development.Software engineers working in the Hinjewadi IT park said there was a lack of police presence at several major junctions resulting in rampant rule violations such as signal jumping and wrong-side driving, causing anxiety during the daily commute.“A lot was talked about Hinjewadi in the last few months, yet the traffic situation has been worsening day by day. Authorities did not seem to be concerned even after so many accidents,” Manish Ganeshwani, a software engineer, said.Another techie, Manali Kshirsagar, said it became extremely dangerous to ride a two-wheeler when heavy vehicles come from both lanes on the same side of the road.Some residents in Wakad and Hinjewadi highlighted the issue of street lights, which endangered the safety of two-wheeler rider and pedestrians.“Roads have not been lit in Kemse Wasti, Bhumkar Nagar and Wakad. Street lights were not operational for the past few days. This area is very close to Bhumkar Chowk and a lot of people use this road. The entire road has been in darkness, causing increasing safety concerns,” Sagar Joshi, a software engineer from Hinjewadi, said.Another issue which was underlined was lack of footpaths in Hinjewadi. “The govt was constructing metro lines in the IT park, but if there were no footpaths, commuters would need to walk on the road to reach the metro station, which would hinder traffic and endanger pedestrians as well,” Prashant Pandit, a techie, told TOI. There should be a study on how many people died in accidents because of the lack of footpaths, he added.The large construction projects underway in Hinjewadi have emerged as the source of noise and air pollution, techies said. The ready-mix concrete (RMC) units operating in certain parts of the IT park did not prevent dust from spreading on the streets. “These units have been operating during odd hours and emitting noise beyond permissible limits. The issue was raised, and some authorities acknowledged it,” said Virendra Gupta, a software engineer.“Govt intervention was also required in arbitrary layoffs carried out by companies. Many employees were facing extreme work pressure, hectic work schedules and the increasing use of performance improvement plans. Despite this, the biggest fear for IT employees now was job losses. This also has an impact on the mental health and wellbeing of employees,” Pandit said.
