HYDERABAD: The demand for merger of Secunderabad Cantonment Board areas with Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation found an echo in the assembly on Monday.
During zero hour, Secunderabad Cantonment MLA G Sayanna (TRS) urged CM K Chandrasekhar Rao to speak with the Prime Minister and defence minister to ensure merger of the two areas.
The Cantonment areas are with the SCB which comes under the ministry of defence (MoD). The state government has to write to the Centre either requesting or expressing its willingness for the merger.
Sayanna said that despite being in the heart of the city, people in Cantonment areas lacked civic amenities when compared to Malkajgiri, Alwal, Kukatpally and other areas under the purview of GHMC. Citing how fund shortage was a major problem in SCB, the TRS MLA pointed out that Rs 650 crore in dues was pending with the Centre.
“There is a growing demand from a large number of residents for merger of SCB areas with GHMC,” Sayanna said and urged speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy to take the issue to the CM’s notice who was not present in the House.
Municipal minister KT Rama Rao, who had recently spoken in favour of merger, was also not in the House when Sayanna brought up the issue.
Sayanna claimed that the merger issue had gained momentum in 1999 after he had raised it in the undivided state.
The file pertaining to SCB merger with MCH (GHMC was formed in 2007) was also moved, but the merger did not happen, he said.
As much as 70% of the Secunderabad Cantonment assembly constituency is covered by the Cantonment areas and remaining 30% by GHMC.
Responding to Sayanna’s request, labour minister Ch Malla Reddy said he was aware of the problems being faced by Cantonment residents as he had earlier served as Malkajgiri MP and was also a member of the defence committee.
“The issue will be taken to the notice of the CM. The state government will look into it,” he said.
