HYDERABAD: The eight-member committee formed by the ministry of defence (MoD) to work out the terms and conditions related to SCB’s merger with GHMC will meet here on January 9. This comes after the state government agreed to the proposal to merge the civilian areas of the cantonment with GHMC.
“It was at the concurrence stage in Telangana. Now the modalities are being worked out. The committee will discuss liability of employees and property issues. We are not sure whether civil localities in the 16 bazaar areas will be merged nor is there any clarity on private lands, as such. These will all be duly addressed in the meeting,” SCB CEO Madhukar Naik said.
It was in last August that the MoD had proposed the excision of the civilian areas to neighbouring municipalities in all 62 cantonments.
Brushing aside rumours that a green signal was given for the merger, Naik clarified that it can happen only if the state government agrees to the committee’s conditions, including those pertaining to land, immovable assets, SCB employees, pensioners, cantonment funds, civic services, road management and traffic regulation.
While several cantonment residents and committees have been voting for such a merger since 2014, Naik opined that living in the cantonment was a better option for three reasons.
“The area is less congested due to the building bylaws which permit a ground floor and a first floor, more sporting facilities by way of grounds and 24x7 security,” he explained.
On the other hand, All Cantonment Citizens Welfare Association (ACCiWA) and Secunderabad Cantonment Citizens Welfare Association (SCCiWA) have been fighting for the merger since 2014. There is no going back now and the merger will happen sooner than later, they opine.
“Due to continuous and persistent push from ACCiWA and SCCiWA at all levels like PMO, MoD, CDS, DGDE and MAUD, demerger was the official policy of MoD. The current move is perhaps the penultimate stage,” ACCiWA said.
Columnist Mohan Guruswamy said the vacant land in the cantonment can no longer be left in the hands of the military.
“The original agreement lease says that the land belongs to the state government. It can be back with the government if it is not put to use by the military. After all, Hyderabad was never a part of British India and it had a separate agreement with the Indian government. The grounds especially must be developed into sports facilities,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pankaj Sethi, a resident of Yapral, who has to take the underdeveloped roads, said it was better that the SCB was merged with GHMC.
“Given that no proper development is taking place in SCB limits, it is better that it is merged with GHMC. Developments in LB Nagar, Gachibowli and Nagole have been tremendous. With poor infrastructure facilities, the cantonment area looks like an undeveloped village. Unlike GHMC, the board cannot raise funds. The road closure issue will be resolved and the widened roads will be reopened for the public,” he said.
However, SCB member J. Ramakrishna presented a different view. He said the merger was not the end-all. Only proper development by the state government can usher in better days, he said.
“The only advantage of the merger is that residents will have the facility to build houses or complexes, with larger FSI areas. However, the major disadvantage is that GHMC is already in financial doldrums and is not able to pay salaries to its staff. The civic body’s bank accounts are managed by third parties,” he added.
