Despite MoD orders, Local Military Authority yet to open 14 roads in Secunderabad Cantonment area
HYDERABAD: A few months ago, in May 2019, the Union Ministry of Defence had ordered the Local Military Authority (LMA) to reopen all the roads in the Secunderabad Cantonment area. However, it seems that the order is far from being implemented in its entirety. According to the Cantonment residents, as many as 14 roads in the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) areas are still closed.
Over the last few years, the LMA had reportedly closed some 25 roads without following the due procedure mentioned in Section 256 of Cantonment Act 2006. But once the MoD made the order to reopen all roads for civilians, as many as 11 of these were opened. However, the roads around which walls were constructed to curb civilian movement have not been opened yet, claim residents.
“LMA has built walled structures to block the movement of residents. Despite the MoD orders, these walls are still in place. Why is LMA not adhering to order? Do they have no fear of the ministry,” asks C S Chandrashekar, secretary of the Federation of North-Eastern Colonies of Secunderabad (FNECS).
The road closure has affected as many as 10 lakh residents of the area. For many, these roads were the primary access to the rest of the city.
The roads that are yet to be opened include the stretch from Lakdawala Junction Singh Road to Golf Course, Cantonment Garden, Barr Road to Gen Krishna Rao Mars, from Ammuguda Junction to RSAOMI club and others.