Call for Updated Reports on Civil Area Excision from Cantonment Limits

HYDERABAD: Arvind Kumar Dwivedi, deputy director general of the Directorate-General, Defence Estates, in Delhi, has called for updated reports from principal directors of Central, Eastern, Western, and Southern Army Commands overseeing 31 cantonments on the excision of civil areas from the cantonment limits.

The deadline is January 1.

According to sources, significant progress has been reported in most cantonments, except for the Secunderabad Cantonment Board. After an eight-member committee submitted a report on the matter February, there has been no development.

A senior SCB official said that the Centre has yet to respond or schedule further meetings.

Amidst this, there is speculation that the Centre government could issue the excision orders a month before the general elections. The complete implementation, including denotification, could extend beyond six months, as with the case of the Kasol cantonment recently.