Press Statement on the reported proceedings of the SCB Meeting of 16.05.2016

The SCB board meeting took place on the 16th May 2016 at 2 pm on various issues to be taken up along with the elected SCB members to move the resolution to open all roads, remove all roads night restrictions and no more closing of the roads in the future by addressing the concerns of the security issue of the LMA.

But interestingly, the president Cantonment Board is reported to have stated during the meeting that the MOD orders of 07.01.2015 do not apply to the closed roads since the roads are not cantonment roads but roads under military jurisdiction.

OSCAR has the following questions to PCB/ Col-Q and CEO to answer>>> which the none of the nominated Cantonment Board members did not answer the following questions:

(a) Where does it say in the 07.01.2015 MOD orders that the orders do not apply to “military roads”?

(b) Where does it say in the Cantonments Act 2006 that the definition of “streets” in the Act does not cover military roads?

(c) Are the closed roads not located within the boundaries of Secunderabad Cantonment?

(d) If the letter of 07.01.2015 was not to apply to military roads, why is it addressed to the Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force? After all the only lands under the direct control and occupation of Army, Navy and Air Force are A1 lands – the same category of lands through which the army claims the closed roads in Secunderabad pass? If the letter of 07.01.2015 was supposed to apply only to roads in “C” Class land such as in Picket, Vikrampuri, Trimulgherry etc., it would have been addressed to the Cantonment Boards and not Chiefs of the Forces.

(e) The letter says in its very first line that it was brought to the notice of the MOD that local military authorities have been closing roads in cantonments without having the statutory authority to do so. Is president cantonment board aware of any road in “C” class land, which was closed by local military authority, and which may then have been brought to the notice of the Ministry?

(f) Finally, how does the president Cantonment Board explain that the MOD letter of 07.01.2015 is recorded in the Board Minutes of other Cantonment Boards, and that after this letter other Boards in the country have opened roads on A1 land which were closed by local military authorities? How does he explain that Allahabad High Court ruled to reopen roads on A1 land citing the Ministry's orders of 07.01.2015, further ruling that leave alone closing roads – military authorities do not even have policing powers like checking identification documents on these roads? The president Cantonment Board seems to be avoiding the basic point – that public was not using these roads to enter army offices or bungalows – but to pass through from one civilian area to another.

OSCAR wishes to ask the State Government to ask for an explanation from the Ministry of Defence and from the Chief of Army Staff as to why the MOD orders (which were issued 3 months after the Hyderabad HC judgment in the matter) are not being followed in Secunderabad, when they are being followed in other cantonments, and to insist that the orders be followed in Secunderabad too.

OSCAR demands Telangana State govt to demand the MOD to issue a showcase notice issued to the CEO/LMA/PCB and Col Q to seek their explanations’ to punish them for their professional misconduct.