Hyderabad: SCB halts civic works due to paucity of funds

Hyderabad: The Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) is unlikely to take up major development works in the next two and a half months as it has run out of the engineering budget for this year. 

Apart from the works which are in the tender process and important road and drainage repairs, the SCB is expected to defer its plans to the next financial year. According to SCB vice-president J. Rama Krishna, there is a financial crunch. However, he said that the Board has back-up plans.

“We have submitted the projections to DGDE (director general defence estates). Last year, they gave Rs 25 crore. We want this to be increased to Rs 50 crore. Also, we tried for the funds from the finance commission to tide over the present crunch,” he said.

The SCB took up the construction of a culvert on Secunderabad Club-Wellington Road stretch this financial year. A large chunk of road was cut open to build the culvert. The British-era culvert was demolished and the SCB spent Rs 1.2 crore and made the culvert operational in August 2017.

The board had allocated Rs 6 crore in November for road repairs in all of the eight wards. Some works were completed while others are in the tendering stage. 

J. Maheshwar Reddy, Ward-1 member, stated that the SCB received about Rs 7 crore grant from the finance commission. We hope that this fund will used to take up engineering and water-related works until the next budget, he said.