Secunderabad Cantonment Board members to approach Defence Minister

 Giving representation to Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on May 4 to resolve certain long pending issues in SCB, will be the last ditch effort of the residents and public.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman (File | PTI)
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman (File | PTI)

HYDERABAD: Giving representation to Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on May 4 to resolve certain long pending issues in SCB, will be the last ditch effort of the residents and public representatives of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB). If the issues remain unresolved even after that, the residents have decided to launch an agitation. “We will protest until our demands are met,’’ said Malkajgiri MP Malla Reddy and SCB vice-president J Rama Krishna who held a meeting at Federation of Northeastern Colonies of Secunderabad (FNCS) on Wednesday.

The representation, to be submitted to the defence minister, stresses that with the closure of roads, one-sixth of the city’s population living in three out of 19 Circles of GHMC Alwal, Malkajgiri, and Kapra and six out of eight wards of SCB will be affected. He said more than 15 public roads in SCB have been closed by Local Military Authorities in Secunderabad Cantonment. 

The MoD Letter No. 4(2)-2015/D dated 07.01.2015 directed immediate reopening of roads which had been closed without following Sec 258 of the Cantonments Act. These directions are being followed in other cantonments, and including A1 roads have been reopened, but not in Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB), said Rama Krishna.

Speaking to media, Malkajgiri MP M Malla Reddy said the SCB is struggling to get nearly `466 crore dues from the military for extending various service charges. The Ministry of Defence gave `5o crore as service charges in this financial year. He said that the Secunderabad Cantonment Board was the largest in the country and the board was in dire need of money to make available civic amenities. It will be helpful if the ministry pays the service charges on time.We will take the issue of road closures to defence ministry. The Telangana government is ready to construct the skyways in 100 acres of Defence lands.The Defence Ministry was demanding payment of `30 crore per annum. If the Centre fails to solve our problems we will protest, he added. 

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