Secunderabad Cantonment merger plea sent to defence ministry, say officials

Hyderabad: A representation submitted by Secunderabad Cantonment MLA N Sriganesh to President Droupadi Murmu regarding the excision of civilian areas from the Secunderabad Cantonment and their merger with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has been forwarded to the ministry of defence as part of routine administrative procedure.According to officials of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board, any representation addressed to the President of India on policy or administrative matters is customarily forwarded by the President's secretariat to the ministry concerned or department for examination and necessary action. The forwarding of such letters does not, by itself, indicate a policy decision or special intervention.In this case, the President's secretariat communicated to the MLA that his letter, dated Feb 1, had been forwarded to the defence secretary, Govt of India, for appropriate attention. In his representation, the MLA referred to delays in implementing a central govt policy approved over four years ago to restructure cantonment administration. The policy envisages the separation of civilian areas from cantonments and their integration with respective urban local bodies.The representation also raised concerns over civic infrastructure and finances within the cantonment. It alleged that unpaid service charges amounting to approximately Rs 1,200 crore are due from the central govt to the Secunderabad Cantonment Board, affecting the delivery of municipal services.The representation further noted that a significant number of residents in the Secunderabad Cantonment currently lack elected local representatives and sought the issuance of a gazette notification to facilitate their inclusion in future GHMC elections. Officials clarified that the matter is presently with the ministry of defence and that no formal decision, notification, or timeline has been issued regarding the merger or administrative restructuring of the Secunderabad Cantonment.