During the last visit, Ajit Pawar had asked officials to take strict action and resolve various issues raised by Hinjewadi residents, including congestion and waterlogging.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar Saturday visited Hinjewadi for the second time in a fortnight and expressed fears that the IT hub may eventually move out of Pune. He also took stock of the steps taken by the local administration to resolve the issues of traffic jams and road widening raised by IT professionals and citizens in the area.
During his previous visit, Pawar had directed authorities to take all necessary measures to address various issues, including waterlogging and congestion faced by residents.
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On Saturday, Pawar pulled up a local sarpanch who was reportedly urging him not to shift a temple for road widening. A viral video of the incident shows the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief chiding the sarpanch.
After inspecting the progress of various works, when Pawar was trying to get into his car, the sarpanch tried to strike up a conversation with him. An angry Pawar said to him, “You say whatever you want to say. I will hear you out. But I will do what I want… We have lost everything… Hinjewadi IT park is moving out to Hyderabad, Bengaluru… Why should I get up early morning and inspect the works here… But there is no alternative to it.”
He was accompanied by officials of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA), district administration as well as police officers.
During the last visit, Pawar had directed PMRDA and the police to act tough against those who created obstructions in road construction. “Don’t listen to anyone. File cases… Those who obstruct work should be put behind bars. Those whose land is being acquired will get TDR (transfer of development rights). We will do whatever is possible,” he had said. He had also instructed to take action after inspecting streams and nullahs on which encroachments had taken place.
