Silicon Slum

In most countries, a glittering IT hub contributing over 60 percent of a state’s tech exports would be treated as sacred. But in Maharashtra, the Hinjewadi IT park in Pune has long been strangled by neglect, civic indifference and turf wars between babus and local strongmen. The Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park that was supposed to be the toast of India’s outsourcing revolution is now a cautionary tale of urban decay.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar recently erupted in public rage during a surprise visit to the area. A viral video shows him berating local officials and a sarpanch, venting frustration over crumbling infrastructure, mind-numbing traffic and endemic waterlogging. Pawar lamented that companies in Hinjewadi were moving to Bengaluru and Hyderabad. For once, the theatrics were not misplaced.

The litany of civic failures that have plagued the Hinjewadi IT park is long and familiar: roads that vanish during monsoons, snarled junctions where traffic snarls last hours, blocked stormwater drains and pitiful coordination between agencies. That this is happening in a zone meant to showcase Maharashtra’s modern, tech-savvy face only adds to the shame. The contrast between gleaming tech campuses and the fetid roads leading to them is now so stark it has become a running joke among IT professionals and investors alike.

The rot, as always, lies in the muddle of jurisdictions. The Hinjewadi IT Park, spread over 2,800 acres, is overseen on paper by the MIDC, the PMRDA, the PMC and village panchayats, each with its own fiefdom. Responsibility is passed around like a hot potato. When something breaks (and everything usually does), no one is accountable.

Worse, genuine efforts to fix things are being blocked by petty politics and vote-bank compulsions. Consider the latest row over road widening. Pawar had ordered the expansion of arterial roads to 36 metres to ease traffic flow. Yet, the local sarpanch pushed back, citing disruption to village homes, a school and a hospital. While the concerns are not trivial, they were raised not in the spirit of negotiation but obstruction.

It is not the first time companies have voted with their feet. The Hinjewadi Industries Association recently claimed that 37 companies had already exited the park in recent years. While Hyderabad and Bengaluru woo investors with streamlined processes and proactive state support, Pune’s tech jewel is left grappling with potholes and power cuts.

What makes this decline all the more galling is the economic importance of the region. Thousands of engineers, coders and back-office staff pour into the IT corridor daily. They power systems used across the world - from Silicon Valley firms to European banks. Yet, for all the revenue they generate, they are rewarded with broken roads and Kafkaesque governance.

While Ajit Pawar has finally acknowledged the scale of the crisis, sabre-rattling alone will not suffice. Fixing Hinjewadi requires more than weekly inspections and viral videos. And if it is allowed to bleed any further, it will be an economic suicide note for Maharashtra.