Secunderabad Cantonment Board spokesmen to raise voice on road closure

Hyderabad: Elected representatives from Secunderabad Cantonment (SCB) are scheduled to attend a meeting with Union defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman on April 30 to discuss certain long pending issues. The meeting is particularly critical in view of growing public discontent regarding the supposedly illegal closure of roads in the Cantonment area. In addition, MPs representing all 62 cantonments, as well as vice-presidents, will attend the meeting to be chaired by Sitharaman.

Malkajgiri MP Malla Reddy and SCB vice-president J. Ramakrishna will represent SCB at the meeting. “We will soon finalise the issues to be raised at the meeting, including the all important roads closure problem, affecting almost one-sixth of the city’s population,” Ramakrishna said.

“In over 30 years, I have heard of no major security breaches or accidents on Cantonment roads. So the citizens are at a loss to understand why the military establishment fears a security threat to their installations and spaces. We will highlight the violation of Section 258 of the Cantonments Act,” he added.

Ramakrishna has also said they will seek immediate assurance from the minister on the issue, and will appeal for the setting up of a four member committee comprising the vice-president, an MLA and two citizens (from areas affected by the closure).

He added that the Army has defined the term ‘unit roads’ according to convenience. Examples include Gough Road, Entrenchment Road, and Wellington Road. “These roads were laid and maintained by SCB, which is funded by public taxes. How can the Army close such roads unilaterally, without public consent?”

Reddy and Ramakrishna are also expected to raise matters such as service charges, modified building by laws, implementing building regularisation scheme and the transfer of staff from one Cantonment to another, at the meeting.