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Rewind 2018: Residents get respite as SCB reopens some areas

Following protests, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman on May 20 had ordered to reopen all the roads from 62 Cantonments.

Hyderabad: The four-year-old rift between civilians and the Army in the Secunderabad Cantonment finally got some clarity in 2018, when defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman gave instructions to reopen all cantonment roads, providing some relief for 20 lakh residents in the Secunderabad Cantonment Board.

However, the decision could only give civilians access to some of the roads, as eight roads still remained shut with walled constructions on some of them remaining intact. Not just the roads, many problems that civilians have been facing in the cantonment have remained without any solution, despite the multiple representations made to the concerned authorities.

The orders from the defence ministry came on May 20, 2018, which instructed to ‘reopen all the cantonment roads’ which were closed by the local military authority without following any due procedure as specified in the Cantonments Act, 2006. Following the order, some of the roads were reopened, where as some remained closed.

Some of the roads were opened after the ministry’s orders; they were closed again after a few days, like Surender Marg. Some other roads have gates built across, which block access, like the road that leads to Amherst Road. Some roads have night restrictions like the one near Rashtrapati Nilayam.

On the other hand, none of the walled constructions were removed by the LMA. There are four walls blocking the passage at Ammuguda, Lakdawala, RK Puram and on the Burr Road that leads to Amherst Road. Before the orders, as many as ten roads were closed for more than ten years and five roads were closed for four years by the local military authority citing security reasons.

Other than roads, developmental work has been stagnant in the year, 2018, thanks to the election season, which gave a valid reason to the officials to maintain distance from the development work in the last four months. There was no major tangible developmental work done in the Cantonment to showcase the year’s achievement.

Mr N. Venkata Ramana, a resident of Trimulgherry, said, “Nothing has changed in 2018. While the GHMC is going ahead with new projects of roads and flyovers, we are stuck here, pleading with the officials for repairs and renovations. Even petty issues are not being solved and we are not getting proper response from the officials for our grievances.”

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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