HYDERABAD: THE Local Military Authority (LMA) has once again shut down civilian roads in Secunderabad Cantonment area citing a high-security threat, leaving the residents irked. They claim that the LMA has imposed these restrictions without following due process, because of which the residents will have to face more inconveniences.
Restrictions on most of the civilian roads in the area began from Wednesday post 10 pm, and are likely to continue until September 29. Meanwhile, several commuters claim that the jawans’ posted at some of the entry gates in the Cantonment had started to stop them even before the actual road closure time. Speaking to Express, Sravan Kumar said: “I was stopped at the Balaji entry gate at 9 am on Wednesday. When I asked them why they were not letting people go, the jawans snatched my Voter ID and other documents, forcing me to stay there for more than an hour.”
Talking about the alleged security threat, Open Secunderabad Cantonment All Roads (OSCAR) spokesperson S Chandrasekhar said: “The security threat is applicable to the entire nation or the State. That being the case, why are the civilians not being alerted by the Central Home Ministry? Even if it is specific to Secunderabad Cantonment area, the specific orders by the Ministry of Defense to LMA are that roads should be closed during emergency alerts. But the LMA is arbitrarily closing the roads that are a lifeline for the residents here.”
Condemning the closure, Rajeshwar Rao, president of Federation of North-Eastern Colonies of Secunderabad (FNECS), asked: “Why are they only closing roads in the SC area? Why are there no restrictions around Golconda, which is also a military area?” He further questioned if there were actual security threats in the State, and if yes, why was security not enhanced in temples, Metro stations, and airports.