Residents oppose the closure of acantonation roads, question land property claims

Hyderabad: The residents of the Northeast of Secunderabad are again locked in a battle against what they call the illegal closure of the acantonation roads, accusing the military authorities of challenging the orders of the Ministry of Defense (Mod) and preparing the scenario to obtain more restrictions in the future. The controversy has deepened with the reports that army officials have asked the Municipal Corporation of the Great Hyderabad (GHMC) to accelerate the work on “alternative roads”, a movement that the locals believe that it is a cover for future obstacles.

“They are stressing in ‘Alternative roads’ because once they are ready, they will close the existing ones,” said CS Chandrashekhar, secretary of the Federation of Colonies of the Northeast of Secunderabad (FNEC). “It’s not just about inconveniences; It is an attempt to alter the very nature of the cliff and limit public access. “

One of the most controversial aspects of this dispute is the property of the land of acantonation. While the military have offered land for these “alternative roads”, it has also demanded compensation from the Telangana government, something that residents and activists call absurd.

“Secunderabad was never a British crown land like other cliffs in India. I was always under the government of Nizam. The public land here was part of the land Diwani (civil) of the state of Hyderabad, which legally belongs to Telangana today. So why should the center pay the center for your own land? Chandrashekhar explained.

Fnecs has submitted historical records that show that the British parked troops in Secunderabad through treaties with the NIZAM but they never owned the earth. Unlike the cliffs in other parts of India, where the British controlled the land, Secunderabad remained under the state of Hyderabad. This means that after independence, the earth should have legitimately transferred to the state of Telangana, not to the central government, said another resident.

The potential closure of the roads in the cliff is not a minor problem: it affects more than 20 Lakh of people in three circles of GHMC (Malkajiri, Alwal and Kapra) and five of the eight neighborhoods under the Cantonment Board of Secunderabad.

“Alternative roads are fine, but that does not mean that existing roads should be closed,” said a resident of Sainikpuri Ramavathi K. for those who live in Yapral, Sainikpuri and the surrounding areas, these called ‘new roads’ do nothing. They are simply a way to justify the closure of the roads we already have. ”

Past closures, such as those of Aoc Road and Byam Road, caused mass interruptions. Despite the MOD decision that public roads in the cliffs must remain open, residents say that military authorities continue to act on their own, they added.

Fnecs has urged the Telangana government to resist any movement that legitimizes road closures and affirm its property on the land of acantonation. The group is also pressing for legal actions to prevent the military from demanding compensation for the land that, as they argue, already belongs to the State.

“If we allow this, tomorrow they will remove more roads and more public spaces,” warned a local resident. “It’s not just about Secunderabad. It is about protecting public access everywhere. “