Secunderabad Cantonment Board in dire need of new master plan

HYDERABAD: The SCB has been waiting for a long term master plan to cater to infrastructure requirement and the growing population for the next 20 to 30 years. The last development plan was prepared in 2006. In comparison, the HMDA’s master plan-2031 was prepared with a long-term development vision for 20 years. According to Mr J. Pratap, former SCB vice-president, the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) which prepared the 2006 plan had proposed work to be taken for the five to six years to improve road network, water supply, drainage lines, traffic management. It remained just on paper as over Rs 300 crore was needed.

Mr Jeetender Surana of the Secunderabad Cantonment Colonies Association, asked the SCB to update its development plan by making changes in zoning regulations and land use wherever required. The new plan will help in revisiting guidelines regarding commercial and residential spaces in lay-outs that will boost revenues Senior architect Shanker Narayan demanded that the SCB’s new master plan should be integrated with the HMDA and GHMC because the cantonment was part of the capital area.

“Use of open spaces, plans for traffic, water storage, drainage, and road network have to be done in co-ordination. So SCB should strive to integrate their master plan with HMDA,” he felt. HMDA sources stated that the SCB was not made part of their integrated master plan exercise since came under the Centre’s purview. A HMDA official said the SCB had asked the urban body a year ago to prepare the master plan. It had to pay consultancy fees, and the matter did not go beyond that, he said.