President Droupadi Murmu refers Secunderabad Cantonment merger issue to Defence Ministry

The long-pending demand to excise civilian areas from the Secunderabad Cantonment and merge them with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has received fresh momentum after President Droupadi Murmu formally took cognisance of the matter and referred it to the Ministry of Defence for action.

The information was communicated in a letter by the President’s Secretariat to Secunderabad Cantonment MLA Sri Ganesh Narayanan. “Kindly refer to your letter dated February 1 addressed to the President of India. The said letter has been forwarded to the Defence Secretary to the Government of India for appropriate attention,” the letter said. 

In his representation, the MLA flagged delays in implementing a Central government policy approved more than four years ago to restructure cantonment administration. He also drew attention to the financial strain on civic services in the cantonment, alleging that unpaid service charges amounting to ₹1,200 crore are owed by the Central government to the Secunderabad Cantonment Board.

The issue has gained prominence following an eight-day hunger strike led by the MLA from January 20 to January 27 against the continuation of a nominated setup in the cantonment board. The protest saw participation from residents who have been demanding the restoration of elected local governance and the integration of civilian areas with the city’s urban administration under the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.

“For too long, 4 lakh residents of Secunderabad Cantonment have lived in a democratic deficit without elected local representation. By forwarding the issue to the Defence Secretary, the President’s office had validated the residents’ struggle. We also demand a time-bound gazette notification to enable cantonment residents to participate in the upcoming GHMC elections,” said Mr. Sri Ganesh.