Pune — a buzzing automotive and IT hub
Pune, Maharashtra’s second largest city after Mumbai, has been a hub for the engineering industry for over five decades. But it is in the last two odd decades that it has seen a virtual metamorphosis, evolving from a quiet peaceful town that offered harried Mumbaikars a pleasant weekend getaway to a mini metro bustling with industrial activity. Today, Pune wears many caps — leading IT destination, logistics hub and a renowned centre for the auto, design and white goods industries, amongst others. On the industrial front, the progress first began with the setting up of Kirloskar Oil Engines, Tata Motors and Bajaj Auto in the 1950s and 1960s. The Swedish Group Sandvik Asia, Atlas Copco, Alfa Laval, SKF Bearings followed suit andwere amongst the earliest settlers on the erstwhile two-lane Bombay-Poona Road. Industrial activity grew gradually as more units were established, including Finolex Cables, Forbes Marshall, the now defunct Garware Nylons and Bajaj Tempo (now Force Motors), amongs...