Cantt residents urge government for traffic cops

Hyderabad: The residents of Secunderabad Cantonment wrote to the State Government to post traffic police in the Cantonment alleging that the Local Military Authority (LMA) is harassing commuters by demanding that they show ID proof, driving licence and at times even Aadhaar card. Federation of North eastern Colonies of Secunderabad (FNECS) made a requisition to the Chief Secretary S K Joshi here on Wednesday to provide civic amenities.

Members state that only the Hyderabad City Police has the right to regulate traffic. It may be noted that the few roads in Secunderabad Cantonment have been closed, and few partially closed with certain restrictions for the past few years now. It is alleged that civilians are harassed to provide their identification cards and are threatened with challans. “Our federation has been pursuing the matter of illegal closure of cantonment roads to civilians. Roads closure is causing inconvenience to commuters. Earlier, we took the issue to the notice of Raksha Mantri, Defence Secretary, Defence Estate Authorities, Secunderabad Cantonment Board and GHMC that roads had been closed by violating relevant sections of Cantonment Act 2006,” said a member of FNECS.

In 2018, Raksha Mantri said that the roads which were closed by Local Military Authorities without following the law would be opened. But several roads in the northern parts around the Bolaram Golf Course remained closed either totally or during night,” said C S Chandrasekhar, Secretary for Federation of North Eastern Colonies of Secunderabad. “On the roads which are open, army personnel carry out checks by force people to show their identification cards and ask them where they wish to go and why. Motorists are threatened with challans and are delayed on the pretext that traffic police have been called. They are even threatened of lodging a police complaint if they protest or question against them, he added. FNECS requested the state government to give clarify whether such checks are authorised or not. They asked for traffic police on cantonment roads and important junctions and also CCTV cameras should be installed.