Relief unlikely, given SCB report
Justice P. Naveen Rao's judgement agreed with the Army's decision to close the roads.
Hyderabad: The office of the Secunderabad Cantonment CEO has submitted a fact-finding report on May 9 to the Director General Defence Estate (DGDE) on the ongoing protests by the citizens living in Secunderabad asking the Army to reopen the roads it has closed to civilians.
The DGDE in a letter on May 7 had sought clarification from the SCB on the ‘category’ of roads closed by the Local Military Authority (LMA) and if these roads were used by civilians.
The report though may not work in favour of the citizens as it cites Justice P. Naveen Rao’s judgement that agreed with the Army’s decision to close the roads. He held that the petitioners did not undergo undue suffering as the Army had closed the roads in a phased manner.
This judgement held that the Army was well within its powers to regulate traffic in the Secunderabad Cantonment area.
The other report that the SCB attached is the one submitted by the Local Military Authority (LMA). It is the status report submitted to the ministry of defence a month or so back, in which the LMA said that a few real estate developers are spearheading the protests as they want easy access to the properties being developed by them in the northeastern colonies of Secundera-bad.
Wednesday's fact-finding report submitted to the DGDE by the SCB is crucial to over eight lakh affected residents. The road closure and night restrictions have caused hardship to residents of three municipalities Malkajgiri, Alwal and Kapra with a population of over 20 lakh.
Mr Pankaj Sethi of Yapral who was part of the legal battle against road closure, said, “This is the only opportunity to explain to the ministry that these are roads used by civilians since their inception. Those affected have already submitted the facts including the letter of the former CEO in which it was mentioned that these are roads used by civilians. ”
Said Mr Chandra Shekar of Defence Colony, “Every day I am forced to travel eight kilometres more to get home due to the road closure. Now the decision will depend on what the ministry of defence wants.”
Following the DGDE’s report, the office of the SCB CEO has been flooded with emails requesting bureaucrats to submit a factual representation.