SCB-GHMC merger will resolve civic, road connectivity issues, says FNECS

Hyderabad: The proposed merger of some SCB areas with the GHMC would help resolve several concerns, including civic and road connectivity issues, according to the Federation of North Eastern Colonies of Secunderabad (FNECS).

North Eastern Secunderabad comprises areas to the east of Rajiv Rahadari such as Kowkoor, Balaji Nagar, Yapral, Sainikpuri, Vayupuri, A S Rao Nagar, ECIL, Neredmet, Safilguda and Malkajgiri. All roads connecting the north eastern area to the rest of the city pass through the Secunderabad cantonment. Military authorities have been unlawfully blocking several of these roads to civilians for many years, according to Pankaj Sethi, a member of the FNECS committee. As a result, the few open roads and intersections get congested. The Trimulgherry intersection is one example of this. Another
concern is that Cantonment's roads are extremely narrow and clogged, lack footpaths, and have poor street lighting. In addition, there are fewer traffic lights, no flyovers, and no underpasses.

According to FNECS secretary C.S. Chandrasekhar, there is no accountability in the cantonment as there is in GHMC areas where corporators are accountable to the public concerning civic issues. The Ministry of Defence does not see its responsibility to provide connectivity infrastructure for 10% of the population of a large city,” he remarked. He gave numerous examples of roads and junctions that were either poorly planned or closed by Army officials, claiming that as a result, commuting times and expenses for drivers have significantly increased and travel safety has been severely jeopardised. The north eastern parts of the city have been underdeveloped and neglected in comparison to the rest of the city, he bemoaned.

The federation members advised two key requirements to be met in order to bring connectivity to the north-eastern regions. First, the agency in charge must be accountable to the locals and have the power and resources to carry out development projects. Second, land must be accessible for infrastructure projects to be carried out. They said the proposed merger of some SCB areas with GHMC presents an opportunity to find solutions. FNECS demanded that, as part of the merger, control over all public roads in the cantonment be
handed over to agencies such as the GHMC. In addition, the state government should gain control over a number of the cantonment's open lands so that some of them can be turned into public sports facilities, cycling and jogging tracks, venues for cultural programmes, marketplaces for handicrafts and other local goods, among others.