Hyderabad: The repeal of the ‘draconian and obsolete Cantonments Act, 2006’ and the merger Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) areas into GHMC are among the key demands that the residents of SCB have made to candidates contesting from the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency.
Cantonments are still governed by the draconian and obsolete Cantonments Act, 2006 (CA-2006) and the Cantonment Land Administration Rules 1937 (CLAR-1937).
The system envisaged in CA-2006 and CLAR-1937 is the same as what it was under the colonial British power.
“The Cantonment Board is headed by an unelected Army Officer. There are several other unelected Army officers also in the Board, who actually call the shots,” said a representation, which was given to three major contesting candidates.
The representation was given by the residents to candidates of three major political parties who are standing in the general elections — Mr Marri Rajashekhar Reddy of the TRS, Mr N. Ramchandra Rao of the BJP, and Mr A. Revnath Reddy of the Congress.
Stating that the 95 per cent population of Hyderabad cantonment is civilian, the representation continued, “Civilians in Cantonments cannot continue to be deprived of basic rights and freedoms that are enjoyed by citizens staying in adjoining municipal corporation. The Cantonments Act and the Rules have no place in a modern Democratic society, and need to be changed to reflect this reality.”
“There are many issues which have not been addressed for decades, despite them being brought to the notice of both Central government and state government,” added the members from Secunderabad Cantonment Citizens Welfare Association (SCCiWA).
The state government treats Cantonment problems as something to be sorted out between Cantonment residents and the ministry of defence, forgetting that any resident of Secunderabad Cantonment is also a subject of the state, said Mr Jeetender Surana from SCCiWA.
