Cantonment residents seek probe into ‘revenue leaks, regulatory lapses’

Hyderabad: Residents of Ward-8 in Secunderabad Cantonment have submitted a formal petition to multiple authorities through email, including the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, the Union ministry of defence, and senior defence estate officials, seeking a special audit and criminal investigation into alleged revenue leakage and regulatory violations within the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB). According to the petition, residents allege that the SCB engineering department has been maintaining what they describe as a "dual-record system," where sanctioned building plans indicate compliance with approved land use, setbacks, and height restrictions, while actual constructions on the ground significantly deviate from those approvals. The complaint points to zero-setback structures, unauthorised commercial activity in properties classified as "reading rooms," and permanent constructions on land earmarked as gardens.
The residents claim that property tax assessments are being carried out only on the sanctioned built-up area, while the additional constructed and commercially exploited areas remain untaxed. They argue that this discrepancy has resulted in substantial loss of revenue to the defence exchequer over several years.The petition also raises concerns related to security, stating that the alleged failure to properly survey and enforce cantonment boundaries has enabled civilian high-rise buildings to come up close to sensitive defence zones, particularly along the Bolarum–Rajiv Rahadari corridor. The residents assert that the absence of clear boundary enforcement in these areas poses long-term security risks.Specific instances cited include alleged inaction on a notice issued on January 29 calling for a technical survey of building deviations, continued commercial use of a Bolarum reading room for decades, and delays in issuing a no-objection certificate for a national flag mast project. At the same time, the petition alleges that basic utilities were permitted for informal hutment structures on land recorded under a General Land Register (GLR) number.The residents have requested that the CAG conduct a special land and revenue audit of the Secunderabad Cantonment and that the Ministry of Defence initiate vigilance and enforcement action against officials found responsible. Copies of the petition have also been addressed to senior defence estate authorities and the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Command.Responding to the allegations, Arvind Dwivedi, CEO of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board, said he had not yet reviewed the petition and added that appropriate action would be taken after examining the matter.