Secunderabad Cantonment has no MP for expert meet

Hyderabad: The Secunderabad Cantonment is in a peculiar position. It does not have a Member of Parliament (MP) to represent it in the expert committee meeting, which is scheduled to be held on January 5.

Mr Ch. Malla Reddy, who represented the Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency which covers the SCB area, resigned after being elected as legislator from the Medchal Assembly constituency.

MPs from all cantonments would be meeting the expert committee on January 5 to discuss local issues. 

The meeting is being held on the instructions of defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Secunderabad is one of the largest cantonments in the country and has many issues which need to be highlighted for the expert committee. Residents said a rare opportunity was lost as they did not have an MP to represent them at the meeting.

Mr Jitendra Surana, a resident of Yapral, who was part of a delegation that met Ms Sitharaman recently, said, “It is surprising to note that the there has been no decision taken on this issue by the Secunderabad Canton-ment Board, even three days after the information became public. They should send someone who has a grip over our issues to the meeting.”

Mr Malla Reddy has been quite vocal about the issue of road closure by the Local Military Authority in the Cantonment area and on revising building bylaws.

He had gave representations to the defence minister. 

In the absence of a Lok Sabha member, an official said a Rajya Sabha member could be sent, but he would not be conversant with local issues.

When contacted, executive and elected officials of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board said they had not taken a  decision on the issue. 

An official said that a discussion was necessary about having a representative at the meeting and the Directorate General of Defence Estates would look into this issue.