Cantonment MLA Sriganesh Ends Fast, to Continue Fight

 Hyderabad: Secunderabad Cantonment MLA Sriganesh Narayanan on Monday ended his week-long relay hunger strike demanding the merger of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), describing the move as a “planned pause” and the first step in a wider struggle.

The strike, which lasted seven days, drew support from Telangana Fisheries Development Corporation chairman Mettu Sai Kumar, state Congress general secretaries Narsareddy Bhoopathi Reddy and Prudhvi Chowdary, and Bahujan Samaj Party leader Rajender, who attended the concluding day to express solidarity.

Sriganesh said the response from the Cantonment area had exceeded expectations. “People from all walks of life came forward, including residents, thinkers, artists and public representatives. That support itself is a message,” he remarked.

He noted that the issue of governance in Cantonment areas, particularly the continuation of a nominated system without elections, had now reached a wider audience. “This protest helped take the discussion from local streets to the state and national level,” he said, adding that the matter was now being openly debated.

Drawing parallels with historic public movements, Sriganesh said democratic demands were rarely achieved overnight. “Whether it was the freedom struggle or the Telangana movement, success came only after sustained effort and public backing,” he observed.

The MLA said the merger demand would now be taken forward through consultations with senior citizens, civil groups, and legal experts, alongside different forms of protest. Details of the next course of action would be announced soon.

Thanking supporters who joined the fast on the final day, he said the relay fast had helped explain how a merger could improve civic services and governance in the Cantonment area, calling awareness the campaign’s “first gain.”