Function hall built by AOC back in spotlight

Hyderabad: The function hall constructed by the AOC Regimental Association on the Padam Singh Farm in West Marredpally in violation of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board’s building rules is in the news once again with the Association pushing for its regularisation. 

According to officials of the SCB, the file requesting regularisation is under consideration. The compounding fee has yet to be calculated and collected from the concerned persons, after which the file will be sent to the Southern Command in Pune for final approval. 

Over three years ago, the AOC Regimental Association had proposed the construction of a guest room, a gallery, a kitchen, a storeroom, veranda’s, and toilets in the military farm beside Thapar stadium, in survey numbers 40 and 41. 
J. Rama Krishna, the vice-president of the SCB, had raised objections then about the sewage problem that the construction would cause through to obstruction of the natural flow of drainage across the plot, because of which the building sanction was put on hold. The Board proposed inspections by the SCB staff, but those inspections were never carried out because of the Associations refusal to cooperate. Meanwhile, the Association went ahead and completed the construction work as planned.  

SCB CEO Sujatha Gupta served notices on two occasions, in August 2015 and in December 2015, under Sections 239 and 248 of the Cantonments Act to the Executive Committee of the AOC Regimental Association to stop and remove the unauthorised constructions immediately.

The military authorities responded by applying to the SCB for regularisation of the construction two years ago. The SCB is yet to grant clearance. The matter was raised by representatives of the Association at the SCB’s last board meeting, and board members said that they did not have any objections to the regularisation of the structure built by the army. 

However, vice-president J. Rama Krishna made it clear that the Board faulted the military authorities for violating rules. “The AOC Regimental Association is seeking the regularisation of the structure. Although permission was not taken, construction was carried out adhering to prescribed building bye-laws regarding floor-space index (FSI), and so the structure is fit to be considered for regularisation,” he said. This case cannot be equated with unauthorised constructions that violate all bye-laws and hence cannot be regularized,” he said.

Citizens ready to go to court if structure is regularised

Secunderabad Cantonment Board's move to regularise the army's construction in the erstwhile Padam Singh Farm has angered the anti-corruption crusaders and civilians.

Whether it is the closure of roads or the starting of new constructions, the local military authority has been very negligent when it comes to following the laws, they said. 

S. Chandrasekhar of India Against Corruption, questioned the SCB about how they could have different rules for the military and civilians. The previous CEO had demolished the unauthorised constructions in residential colonies during her tenure, but chose to be a mute spectator at the violation done by the army, he rued. “If the SCB clears the military’s application for regularisation, then we will approach the Supreme Court. 

Everyone is aware of the fate of the Adarsh Housing Society in Mumbai that rocked the Maharashtra government. If that was not regularised, then how can a violation by the army in another state be fit for regularisation,” Mr Chandrasekhar questioned. 

N. Venkatarama, a resident from Alwal, filed an RTI query to get more details about the Padam Singh Farm issue. In a reply given in November 2017, it stated that the function hall at the Padam Singh Farm in West Marredpally was unauthorised. 

He added that the SCB CEO was functioning according to their whims and fancies when it came to razing illegal structures. Authorities are ignoring the violations by the army, for reasons best known to them, he felt. 

Meanwhile anti-corruption activist, Mr Chandrasekhar, raised questions about allowing guests, especially civilians, for weddings that take place in the function hall at the Padam Singh Farm, if the road closes. "They are citing security reasons to close the roads in Cantonment. If that is the case, then how can they allow civilian vehicles coming from East Marredpally or Picket to attend functions without there being any security concerns," he asked.