Why SCB is a poor cousin of GHMC?

• Residents, staff demand merger of the two

There are reasons galore why Secunderabad Cantonment should merge with GHMC. The cash strapped SCB owes Rs 54 crore to the Water Board and is not in a position to get more water. The Defence Eatates, Pune, owes it Rs 315 crore in arrears. SCB also can’t raise property tax to raise funds without improving amenities to the residents. The low-paid employees feel they will be better off under the GHMC. But merger cannot be possible until the Union Government takes a policy decision on all the 62 cantonments in the country. T P Venu reports

Out of the 62 Cantonments in the country, the Secunderabad Cantonment, spread over 40.17 sq km with a population of over 5 lakh, is bursting at the seams. What was once a quaint cantonment with an English feel to it has now turned into a busy place with 260 colonies with 70 per cent of the population being civilians.

The call to merge the cantonment with GHMC is growing not only among the residents but also the employees of the SCB. Akula Mahender, president, Cantonment Board Employees Union, says, “In whichever way you see we are at a disadvantage. We are working under the Defence ministry but our salaries are not on par with central government employees. Any developmental activity that the SCB takes up either gets delayed or sabotaged. We need to deal with several departments, Roads & Buildings, Electricity, Water Board etc.”

The clamour for merger is growing, Shekar, sanitary overseer with the SCB, says, “The lack of funds is the major issue. If the civilian areas come under the GHMC, our lives would improve as there would be scope for promotions and other benefits such as health care and working conditions. Out of the 750 employees in the SCB, 450 are safai workers .”

Need for merger
Residents of the cantonment have been asking for merger with GHMC for long. Mallikarjun Rao, a retired Railway employee, says, “The SCB is strapped for funds and is not in a position to take up developmental projects. There is no coordination between the SCB and the GHMC. Water is a major issue; The SCB owes Rs 54 crore to the Water Board and is not in a position to pay. The residents are suffering.”

Infrastructure development is not taking place as the SCB does not have the funds nor the revenue generated is enough to take up projects. The SCB needs to deal with several departments in case it takes up projects; there are revenue lands, Army land, Roads and Buildings, and Airport Authority land. Many projects were shelved as project clearances were not possible.

Sada Kesava Reddy, vice president, SCB says, “Unless the SCB has funds nothing will change. Rs 315 crore is pending as service charges from the Defence ministry. We also need to pay Rs 54 crore to the Water Board. If the Cantonment merges with GHMC all issues can be solved.” It is easier said than done as the defence authorities in Pune are not willing for a merger for security reasons. The cantonment comprises more than 10 defence establishments.

Unlike other Cantonments in the country, Secunderabad is large in size but the Director-General, Defence Estates (DGDE), Pune, seems to be unaware of the issues here. He treats the SCB as any other cantonment, quips an employee.
The call for a merger is not new, in 1997 the then chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu wrote to the Union Defence Minister seeking the merger of civil areas with GHMC (it was then MCH) but nothing came of it.

“There was a time when the Cantonment extended from Bolaram to Tank Bund. We have a precedent, why not merge the civil areas with GHMC?” asks Ramnarayan, a resident of Rasoolpura. But the merger cannot be done in isolation. The Union Gvernment has to take a policy decision regarding the fate of all 62 cantonments.

Why merger?

• SCB is strapped for funds. It owes Rs 54 crore to Water Board.
• Garbage was earlier being dumped at Jawahar Nagar but the GHMC objected and wants the SCB to pay Rs 6 lakh per month to utilise the facility.
• SCB cannot take up developmental projects as the Cantonment is surrounded by GHMC and it has to deal with several departments
• Service charge arrears to the tune of 315 crore from Director-General of Defence Estates (DGDE), Pune, is pending.
• SCB not in a position to increase property tax. Residents are unwilling to cooperate citing lack of civic amenities.