Army eases road rule for Sivaratri

Hyderabad: Late on Thursday night, much after the Army imposed restriction on civilian use of the AOC road had come into effect, drop gates at four different junctions in the Secunderabad Cantonment area Allahabad Gate, Wellington Road, KV Trimulgherry and Safilguda  were kept open for civilians. Civilian motorists were seen on the AOC stretch even past 10 pm. Col Santosh Kumar, the Andhra Sub Area administration commandant, revealed that the relaxation in the timings was in view of Maha Sivaratri and was only for one night.

Earlier in the day, commuters and roadside vendors were taken aback when along with four jeeps of armed soldiers, Major General C.A. Pithawala, GOC of Andhra Sub Area, accompanied by the Sector Commander, AOC, conducted a detailed inspection of the Safilguda railway gate and KV Trimulgherry.

The sight of the armed jawans, as if ready for battle, surprised everyone. "At around 11 am, the Army officials began inspection at the Safilguda railway track; alternative ways leading to Hanumanagar and Tukaram Gate were noted. Commuters and vendors were stunned to see so many jawans with guns," said Balaraj, a fruit vendor.

About six senior defence officials inspected the area though their discussions remained unknown.

President of the Cantonment Board Brig. Sunil S. Bodhe said, "Inspection was carried out at various junctions, including the Allahabad Gate, Wellington Road and KV Trimulgherry on Thursday. Alternative ways are being assessed for public use. We will soon hold a meeting with the GHMC, traffic and city police and roads and buildings department to chalk out a plan. The regulation of traffic will be carried out in a phased manner and the restriction timings remain unchanged."

Meanwhile, resident welfare associations of Malkajgiri, Safilguda, Anandbagh, Defence Colony and Sainikpuri met Malkajgiri MP Sarve Satyanarayana.

V. Suresh Kumar of the Anandbagh Resident Welfare Association, said, "The MP has initiated a dialogue with the defence ministry and is also discussing the issue with local defence authorities... If the Army feels that its security is threatened, it should just deploy more security personnel."