Hyderabad: The Ministry of Defence has issued a policy on road closure to all the Cantonments. The policy stipulates that no road can be closed without entertaining objections from the public and seeking prior approval from the ministry.
The Orders, dated September 4, were issued to chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force and the Director General, Defence Estates.
It said that the matter of road closure has been considered in the ministry and emphasised that it is absolutely essential to follow the procedure prescribed by section 258 of the Cantonments Act, 2006 and no public road in cantonments should be closed by the Local Military Authority (LMA) without following the due procedure.
The procedure mentioned by the Ministry reads, “A notice carrying information about the closure of any road under section 258 of the Cantonments Act, 2006 will be published in at least three local newspapers including one in English and on the website of the concerned cantonment board for inviting claims/ objections/ suggestions from the local public.”
It further states that the proposed closure order should be forwarded to the Ministry of Defence for vetting in the format prescribed. The ministry shall complete the process in fifteen days from the day of receipt. The final order for road closure will be issued by the General Officer Commanding in Chief (GOC-in-C) of the concerned command and published again in three newspapers and hosted on the website of Ministry of Defence and concerned cantonment board.
Also, in case of any emergency security requirement, the LMA or cantonment board can issue temporary road closure orders for a period not exceeding 14 days with prior concurrence of GOC-in-C.
The LMA is also given the authority to place rumble strips or road safety features if deemed appropriate.
