SCB locals root for Bengaluru model for merger with GHMC

Hyderabad: Locals in the Secunderabad cantonment have demanded both the State and Central governments to adopt the Bengaluru model for merging civilian areas of the cantonment with the GHMC. They requested to speed up the SCB merger process and asked for clarification on how many civilian areas would be merged into the GHMC.

They also recommended following the same process used for the Bengaluru cantonment and last year at the Khasyol cantonment, where notified civilian areas were handed over to the municipality and the army establishments were converted into army stations.

The locals pointed out that there is still no clarity on how many acres of land will be handed over. They noted that there are around 16 notified civilian areas, totaling approximately 235 acres, excluding classified lands such as BI, B3, AI, and others. They also said that there are a few civilian areas that are not notified but should also be handed over.

Earlier, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) stated that the transfer of all proprietary rights to the GHMC would follow the same procedure as the excision of Khasyol cantonment in Himachal Pradesh last year. However, a recent letter indicated a revision, specifying that only proprietary rights over assets meant for providing civic amenities and municipal services, has created confusion about what will actually be transferred.

S Ravindra, general secretary of Vikas Manch and a local, stated that “The recent revisions to the proprietary rights notification have caused significant confusion, as it remains unclear how much land will be transferred to GHMC. The Telangana and Central governments should speed up the merger process. The merger is the only solution for the growth of Secunderabad cantonment. After February, the merger process was closed, and the recent MoD issued has added confusion due to its lack of clarity. It would be better if they followed the same excursion process used in Bengaluru cantonment.”

“We do not understand why the merger with GHMC is being delayed, especially when other cantonments across India are progressing swiftly. It remains unclear how much of the civilian areas will be handed over. It would be better for SCB to adopt the Bengaluru cantonment model, where all notified civilian areas are transferred and army establishments are converted into army stations,” said Suresh Reddy, a local.