Hinjewadi IT meet sparks row over exclusion of local stakeholders
PUNE: The state Urban Development Department's meeting scheduled for Thursday (July 10)in Mumbai to address long-pending civic and infrastructure issues in Hinjewadi has drawn sharp criticism for excluding key local stakeholders.
Chaired by chief minister
Devendra Fadnavis
, the meeting has invited local MLAs Shankar Jagtap and Mahesh Landge, along with officials from the district administration.
However, prominent elected representatives and organisations who have been actively raising concerns—including Baramati MP
Supriya Sule
, Bhor MLA Shankar Mandekar, and the sarpanchs of Hinjewadi and Maan villages—have been left out. Notably, the Hinjewadi IT hub falls under the Bhor Assembly constituency.
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Also excluded are members of the Hinjewadi Industrial Association, Hinjewadi Maan Employees and Residents Trust (HEART), and the Forum for IT Employees (FITE), who have consistently flagged civic issues such as poor road conditions, traffic congestion, drainage bottlenecks, and lack of planning authority.
'This meeting is being held without those most affected. How can it be meaningful without the presence of the local MP, MLA, sarpanchs, gram sevaks, and grassroots organisations?' asked Dnyanendra Hulsure, president of HEART.
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'The outcome of this meeting will certainly questioned as we are not part of the discussion as we too wanted to share our views,' he said.
MP Supriya Sule and MLA Shankar Mandekar, both of whom had been following up with the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) on the matter, have not received invitations. 'It is surprising that no local representatives were called despite repeated letters to the CMO,' said another activist.
Pavanjit Mane of FITE, which has long campaigned for better civic services in the area, said the exclusion was disappointing. 'We have submitted memorandums and even requested meetings with the CM. If included, we could have raised direct questions on why Hinjewadi continues to face such infrastructure challenges,' he said.
Villagers and IT professionals from the area have echoed similar concerns. 'The sarpanch of Maan should have been on that list.
These are the people who deal with the issues on a daily basis,' said a resident of Maan.
When contacted, officials from the CMO told TOI that the list of invitees had been finalised. 'Sixteen members from the IT sector are attending. The list has been drawn up and approved by the CMO,' an official said. 'The minutes of the meeting could help yield positive results,''said a member from the UDD department.
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