There are often comparisons made between the infrastructure of Mumbai and Pune. The popular consensus seems to be that both cities are equally challenged as far as supportive infrastructure is concerned. This is inappropriate for two reasons – one, Mumbai’s growth pattern has been very different from Pune’s. The city has evolved into the country’s financial capital, and the pressures on it are enormous and overwhelming, considering the fact that a significant part of it is an island that cannot grow horizontally to accommodate the growing real estate demands.
Pune, on the other hand, has an advantage by virtue of the fact that it has been able to add to its borders by means of surrounding villages. This has served to decreased pressure on the central city and encouraged an outward growth pattern. The challenges on Pune’s infrastructure – particularly its road network – have more to do with the speed of this growth. While there are various proposals for roads and road widening, these have to be translated into real time to be effective.
The pockets of infrastructural under-development are the result of both developers and the Government concentrating on existing growth areas and sidelining those with high future potential. It is a known fact that no area can grow in terms of residential, commercial and retail real estate unless the necessary infrastructure is first put in place.
This is quite a common phenomenon that is the result of the principle of fastest returns almost instinctually followed by both developers and the Government. Bangalore, for instance, was initially not well planned for radial expansion. The approach in this city was simple – where Information Technology projects went, residential projects followed. IT and ITeS, as business lines, are not dependent on a city’s CBD areas and can workably exist in areas where property prices are low.
Once such a project is established, residential, commercial and retail establishments follow. Since this kind of growth in no way follows a master plan, the result is haphazard pockets of growth. This naturally leads to the neglect of areas that have not been so favoured. The syndrome is also evident in the case of other industries such as manufacturing.
To identity another factor that has compromised Pune’s holistic growth in terms of real estate viability – the first masterplan for the city designated a much more progressive ‘roadmap’ for the city’s road network. However, even today, key roads leading to new growth areas are not being put in place with the speed necessary to ensure that these new areas have the requisite connectivity.
In comparison, the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has been proactive in terms of a proper road network. This explains why there have been such spurts in growth and corresponding real estate values in this region. Even within Pune, there were earlier precedents wherein languishing areas were given fast-paced infrastructure upgrades because of an new market catalyst. For instance, the Youth Commonwealth Games brought with them the fast-tracked enhancement of Baner Road and Pashan Road.