HYDERABAD: In order to bring uniformity in municipal laws governing civil areas of Cantonments and adjoining State civic areas, the Union Ministry of Defence has decided to consider the proposal for the excision of civil areas of certain Cantonments and merge them with neighbouring State municipalities.
Accordingly, broad modalities for proposed excision of civil areas in 58 Cantonments including Secunderabad Cantonment have been shared with the State governments concerned for their comments.
This information was given by Union Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt in a written reply to Jaggesh in Rajya Sabha on Monday.
One Cantonment namely, KhasYol has already been de-notified on April 27 this year. The excision of civil areas and their merger with State municipalities involves active consultation and concurrence of the State governments concerned.
Therefore, it is not feasible to provide any time frame for its implementation. Various representations have been received from public and elected representatives, and also from a few State governments requesting for the excision of civil areas from Cantonments. There is no bar on the implementation of State government schemes by State governments concerned in Cantonment areas. All State governments are already extending the benefits of various schemes to the residents in Cantonments.
Regarding the disbanding of Military Cantonments, he stated that as per the Section 7 Cantonments Act, 2006, whenever any local area forming part of a Cantonment ceases to be under the control of a particular Board and is immediately placed under the control of some other local authority, such portion of the cantonment fund or the cantonment development fund and other property vesting in the Board and such portion of the liabilities of the Board, as the Central Government may, by general or special order, direct transfer to that other local authority.