SCB residents want GHMC takeover of civilian areas

 Hyderabad: Several residents of the Secunderabad cantonment wrote to, and met Secunderabad Cantonment Board CEO Madhukar Naik, asking him to recommend to the defence ministry to merge civil areas irrespective of classification of lands with the GHMC.

"Evidently, the government of India is promptly processing the excision of civil areas from the Secunderabad cantonment. As part of the process, we wanted to put forth our request to the Board to recommend to the MoD, irrespective of classification of lands, to avoid any future complications that arise. Those problems cannot be compensated in any terms if such recommendations are not made," said Arvind Baju, a resident of Ward 8.

Residents fear that the classification of lands could affect the merger with the local municipal body, resulting them remaining under the military authority. Those living along these areas are mostly labours who have been living on these lands for decades now.

G. Abel, another representative, said that a majority of the people living in the Secunderabad cantonment were downtrodden and below the poverty line. "As such proper excision and merger is a matter in the interest of four lakh people, who will benefit thoroughly from this," he added.