Imagine finishing your shift as a worker at Pune’s Chakan MIDC at 5 pm, but only reaching home at 1 am after spending eight hours in crawling traffic on the 30-km route to your home. Or a high school student taking three hours to cover the 3 km from school to home, reaching home only at 8.30 pm.

The Chakan industrial belt, a vital economic corridor housing some of India’s biggest automobile and manufacturing giants, is fast becoming a symbol of infrastructural failure. Despite being a significant contributor to India’s economy, the region is marred by dangerously potholed roads, poor road maintenance and inadequate traffic regulation, causing daily traffic snarls.

The stretch between Chakan MIDC and Talegaon is especially treacherous during the monsoon season, with crater-like potholes and zero visible repair work. The result: frequent vehicle breakdowns, increasing accidents, and working-class commuters stranded for hours. “We lose valuable working hours daily because of this. Industries suffer, workers suffer, but no one seems to care,” said Omkar Shinde, who moved from Beed to Pune for work. He now spends nearly six to seven hours daily just commuting.