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Then: Pune (or Poona as named by the British) was the seat of the Maratha empire, the headquarters of Shivaji and had a strong association with the Peshwas. The city's cultural heritage goes back to almost a thousand years. The indomitable Shaniwar Wada still stands as if to guard the many secrets, victories and romantic past. Pune city has provided many national and political leaders, revolutionaries, researchers, scientists, educationists, artistes and sportsmen.
Now:Popularly known as the Oxford of the East, Pune (known as Poona earlier) is a quaint blend of the ancient and the modern although nowadays, the ancient wadas and other edifices are slowly giving way to multi-storeyed buildings. Pune was previously known as the city of pensions but today, it also hosts a large number of students, entrepreneurs, IT professionals and other professionals in the automotive and engineering industries, and service personnel. It is a magnet hub for multi-nationals, IT, ITES and BPO giants, industrialists and software professionals. The most remarkable change in Pune over the last seven years is the explosive growth of the Information Technology and IT enabled services (ITES) sector, especially call centres, back room processing units, transcription companies, etc. Recently, Pune has also seen the rejuvenation and resurgence in the automobile engineering industry and ancillaries. Next to Mumbai (previously known as Bombay), Pune is the largest contributor to the economy of Maharashtra.
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Housing: Pune's excellent weather, cosmopolitan population, very good employments opportunities have attracted homebuyers and investors to own property here. The salubrious climate is always the first attraction. Pune has seen enormous growth in the IT and ITES sectors (including BPOs, KPOs and transcription centres), engineering field (notably automobile and ancillary industries), retail, multiplex and speciality malls. The high salaries proffered by the IT and ITES sectors have spurred a tremendous upsurge in property demand - both commercial and residential. To a large extent, the price rise in properties could well be attributed to the influx of employees into the information technology. Rents too have risen mainly due to this, because the IT sector prefers to lease rather than own. It will not be an exaggeration to say the information technology sector is the prime driver of real estate growth in Pune.
- Space in Infotech parks sponsored by the Government and privately promoted parks are sold out prior to commencement of construction - so high is the demand. Large IT companies are hungry for space. In the commercial sector, the demand is high in the vicinity of Infotech Parks. Offices of national and multinational engineering and finance companies have come up to cater to burgeoning demand. Many malls, multiplexes and premium branded retail outlets have come up in the past three years because there is a lot of disposable income amongst Pune's employed.
- Growth in the residential sector can be attributed to the growth of the commercial and industrial sector. While Aundh and Kothrud are saturated, areas like Baner, Sus Road, Balewadi, Pashan, Kalyaninagar, Kharadi and Hadapsar to name a few are seeing phenomenal growth. Rates have skyrocketed 100% over two years. Most of the projects coming up in these areas are posh and boast of facilities like club house, swimming pool, gym, cafeteria, etc. Upmarket areas like Kalyaninagar are seeing designer homes being built with complete central airconditioning, mini-swimming pool for every flat, wooden flooring, pre-furnished right up to paintings.
- Row houses and bungalow plots are still available but these are mainly in the outskirts of the city. They are well in demand although at the time of purchase, all the infrastructural facilities may not be available in full. Generally these projects are initiated in fairly undeveloped tracts. Although the projects are in the extreme suburbs, the prices are as good as those in the suburbs.
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City Facts
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| Area |
450.69 sq. kms. (174 sq. miles) |
| Population |
4 million (2007) |
| Languages |
Marathi (predominant), Hindi, English |
| STD Code |
If calling from India: 020 If calling from outside India: 91-20
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| Altitude |
559 meters (1834 ft) above Sea Level |
| Location |
18 degrees 32 minutes North, 73 degree 51 minutes East. |
| Temperature |
Summer: 23 o C to 35 o C Winter: 12 o C to 30 o C |
| Average Rainfall |
680 mm (27 inches) |
| Clothing |
Light cotton wear for the summer months (March to October) and a light woollen jacket or pullover for winter mornings and evenings. Light winter rains can be expected; hence a light jacket is the best.
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Pune is divided into:
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- Central:
Deccan Gymkhana, Prabhat Road, Bhandarkar Road, Kasba Peth, Rastapeth, Parvati, Sahakarnagar, Satara Road, Shukrawar Peth, Bhawani Peth, Shivajinagar, Swargate, Mukundnagar, Shankarshet Road, Tilak Road, Sadashiv Peth, Shaniwar Peth, Narayan Peth.
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- East:
Ghorpadi, Hadapsar, Airport Road, Kalyani Nagar, Viman Nagar, Lohegaon, Mundhwa Road, Koregaon Park.
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- North:
Akurdi, Bhosari Gaon, Bopodi, Chinchwad, Pimpri, Dapodi, Dighi, Kasarwadi, Khadki, Wakdewadi, Shirur.
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- South:
Anand Nagar, Dhankawadi, Salunke Vihar, Fatima Nagar, Salisbury Park, Gultekdi, Market Yard, Bibwewadi, Katraj, Kothrud, NIBM Road, Kondhwa, Wanowrie, Vadgaon, Sinhagadh Road.
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- West:
Aundh, Baner, Balewadi, Khadakwasala, N.C.L., Bavdhan, Range Hills, Bhosalenagar, Ganeshkhind, I.A.T., Model Colony, Ganeshkhind Road, Senapati Bapat Road, Pashan, Shivaji Housing Society.
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