Merger of Secunderabad Cantonment with GHMC Likely to Move Forward
Hyderabad: With only a few days left for the stakeholder meeting scheduled on December 4, hopes are growing that the merger of Secunderabad Cantonment with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) might soon be finalized. In preparation for the meeting, several residential welfare associations have submitted letters to officials, urging them to provide clarity on the merger during the discussions.
Cantonment Vikas Manch, an organization advocating for the merger, recently submitted a representation to Radha Mohan Singh, Chairperson of the Defence Standing Committee. The group requested his intervention to resolve the long-pending issue and expedite the process of merging Secunderabad Cantonment with GHMC.
Sources indicate that while other cantonments across India have seen progress in their merger efforts, little has been done in Secunderabad. The last significant meeting on this issue took place in June with Telangana Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari. Since then, no high-level discussions have occurred, and the final report regarding the land to be handed over to GHMC is still pending.
There is optimism that the upcoming meeting will bring clarity on the amount of land to be transferred. Sanki Ravinder Babu, General Secretary of Cantonment Vikas Manch, expressed concern over the delays. He stated, “Despite progress made by the Defence Secretary and state government officials, the merger process is taking longer than expected. We hope that the process will be fast-tracked in the upcoming meeting.”
Babu also highlighted the struggles faced by the 4.5 lakh residents of the area, including a lack of proper budget, manpower, infrastructure, and basic amenities. He believes that these issues can be addressed effectively once the merger is completed. Residents are now eagerly awaiting the December 4 meeting for further updates.
