Secunderabad Cantonment MLA seeks GHMC merger, ₹50 crore annual package for development

Raising concerns over chronic underdevelopment and financial neglect, Secunderabad Cantonment MLA, Sri Ganesh Narayanan, urged the Telangana government to pursue the merger of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and sanction a special annual development package of at least ₹50 crore for the constituency.

Speaking in the Telangana Legislative Assembly, the MLA said Secunderabad Cantonment remained the only constituency in the State under the administrative control of the Central Government, but received no special funds or financial support for civic development. He said the Cantonment Board did not receive even basic Army Service Charges from the Centre, leaving it without resources to undertake infrastructure works or meet salary obligations.

“There is no money for development in the Cantonment area. Even salaries of the Board’s staff are affected. Roads, sewerage, playgrounds and electricity infrastructure are in a very poor state,” he told the House.

Mr. Narayanan said the Cantonment area lay at the centre of a rapidly expanding urban region, particularly after the State government increased the GHMC limits to include 20 municipalities and 7 corporations, yet it had remained excluded from the city’s growth for decades.

The MLA said all development works in the area were currently being carried out using MLA Local Area Development (LAD) funds alone, which he said were grossly insufficient. “Even if the MLA fund is ₹5 crore a year, or even with the recent ₹10 crore sanctioned by the Chief Minister, it will not be enough to bring development to this constituency for the next 50 years,” he said.

Arguing that structural change was essential, Mr. Narayanan said the merger of the Cantonment Board with GHMC was necessary to resolve long-pending civic issues and integrate the area into Hyderabad’s development framework. He added that the merger would also simplify land transactions and property registration processes for residents.

Highlighting the financial burden on residents, he pointed out that people in the Cantonment area currently paid 12% in stamp duty for property registration as compared to the 7.5% paid by GHMC residents, yet received no commensurate civic services.

The MLA also flagged the prolonged delay in Cantonment Board elections, stating that elections scheduled for 2020 had still not been conducted.

Appealing to the Chief Minister through the Speaker, Mr. Narayanan urged the State government to take up the issue with the Central government on priority and ensure that the Cantonment area was merged with GHMC, reiterating that sustained funding was essential to bring the constituency at par with the rest of Hyderabad.