PUNE - HYPE and REALITY

PUNE  -  HYPE and REALITY

Nowadays, newspapers are full of real estate advertisements which tout Pune as the destination of tomorrow.

Yes, there was a time when Pune was a salubrious Paradise for Pensioners.

Not any more.

Today, Pune is certainly not a good place to settle down after retirement.

In fact, if you have a choice, and there are better options, Pune may come much lower down among emerging destinations.

In fact, Pune may be aptly called the destination of yesterday, or destination of the past.

Pune is certainly not the destination of the future.

Of course, there is so much hype about Pune that so many people would have surely told you about the pros of Pune.

Well here are a few cons ...

Here are six reasons why Pune cannot be touted as the “destination”

6 FACTORS YOU MUST CONSIDER BEFORE MAKING PUNE YOUR DESTINATION

1. POOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND INADEQUATE FACILITIES

For a city of its size, and being touted the destination of the future, Pune has very poor infrastructure and there is a glaring lack of basic facilities.

Pune suffers due its proximity to Mumbai.

Because of this Pune always gets step-motherly treatment.

There is just a small domestic airport (courtesy the Air Force) and you have go to Mumbai most of the time to catch a flight.

No one knows when the international airport will see the light of the day.

The railway station cannot cope with the rush and hardly any major trains start from Pune – most important trains start from Mumbai.

Though they call it the “Oxford of the East” Pune is not even an UPSC exam centre.

So if you aspire for the the IAS, IPS or Civil Services or want to get into the Defence Services through the NDA or IMA or Naval Academy you will have to go all the way to Mumbai to appear for the examination.

There is no High Court bench in Pune. In Maharashtra Aurangabad and Nagpur have them. In fact, Nagpur and Aurangabad are given more priority than Pune.

They opened a Small Passport Office in Pune a few years ago but you must pay a visit there to see the chaos.

Infrastructure development is hardly happening.

And whatever little is happening it is progressing at snail’s pace whereas the population is rapidly rising day by day.

You can see garbage strewn all over the place. 

The existing infrastructure is unable to the bear the brunt.

The rivers have shrunk to the size of drains and are filthy.

There is debris and rubble from the roads perpetually dug up for repairs as the existing facilities are not able to cope up with the unplanned development and rapid rise in population.

I think Pune has reached its saturation point on the S-Curve and will soon reach a point of stagnation.

2. TRAFFIC CHAOS

The best way to travel in Pune is to go nowhere.

Pune Traffic is chaotic and dangerous and commuting is a nightmare.

Roads are in terrible shape and so overcrowded that it takes you hours to cross the city.

Traffic jams are a rule not an exception.

Public transport is so pathetic that you have to buy your own vehicle.

That’s why everyone is driving around and there is no place to drive and there is not an inch of place to park your vehicle.

Do have a look at the Hinjewadi Road in the evenings when thousands of IT Techies go home – it sometimes takes almost one hour to cover the three kilometre stretch from Hinjewadi to Wakad.

It is the same story almost everywhere in Pune - in fact, in the city the traffic is even more dense and slow and there are terrible traffic jams in peak hours.

The best way to live in Pune is to stay at home – stay inside and stay cool, for if you venture out for a drive you are sure to lose your cool.

3. ELECTRICITY SHORTAGE

Pune suffers Irregular, Unregulated and Erratic Electric Power Supply.

There are frequent electric power failures and sometimes there is no electricity for the whole day on every Thursday and frequent unplanned power cuts every few hours.

This not only damages electronic devices but deprives you of a basic necessity of modern life – electricity.

Yes, you can get an inverter or a genset, but then it is very expensive and burns a big hole in your pocket.

With hardly any new power projects being completed or planned in the near future, things are only going to get worse.

4. WATER WOES

If you live in the heart of the city, in a low lying area, in one of the Peths, you will be lucky to enjoy good water supply.

But in the fringe areas where modern townships are proliferating and new constructions and developments are taking place, there is a severe scarcity of water and many new residential schemes are deprived of treated municipal water and have to rely on bore-well or tanker supplied water.

So be sure to check this out before you plan to buy a house in Pune.

It hardly rains in Pune nowadays due to the reducing greenery and proliferating concrete jungle and water woes will only get worse.

5. SAFETY AND SECURITY

There was a time when Pune was a safe and secure place.

Not any more.

The crime rate is high and rising.

A look at the newspapers or the news on TV will tell you how bad things are.

Robberies, Crime against Women, Violence and Road Accidents are on the rise.

Once known as a pensioners’ paradise, Pune is not safe for senior citizens anymore.

6. POOR VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY

Pune is one of the most expensive places in India.

Everything from petrol to food is more expensive than other place.

Real Estate prices have gone through the roof, especially after the IT Boom.

In fact, it is the heavy influx of highly paid IT Techies that is responsible for the exorbitant rise in prices of everything, especially housing, and made Pune an unaffordable city. 

Now the manufacturing and service industry booms are also adding to rising costs of living and inflation.

The quality of life in Pune is not commensurate with the amount of money you invest or spend.

The cost of living is very high in Pune. 

You do not get value for your money in Pune.

ARE YOU THINKING OF RELOCATING TO PUNE

If you are thinking of relocating to Pune, do consider all the above factors.

And despite all this, if you still decide to come – welcome to Pune.

You must have a really strong reason for wanting to relocate to Pune.

Maybe it is your job, so you have no choice.

Or maybe the town where you live right now is much worse off than Pune.

Quality is a relative and comparative factor.

Pune is a much hyped up place.

Before you decide to take the plunge, it is best to try a “dry run” in order to experience first hand the pros and cons of living in Pune.

Wish You All The Best.