Resident Welfare Associations from the Secunderabad Cantonment area have submitted a representation to Joint Secretary, Ministry of Defence Rajesh Mittal, seeking immediate conduct of elections to the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) and to expedite the merger of civilian areas with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). The representations were handed over during his visit to Hyderabad on Tuesday.
The Confederation of Cantonment Residents Welfare Association, Secunderabad, said SCB elections have not been held since 2020, with the last elected board completing its term after the January 2015 polls. Citing democratic norms that mandate local body elections every five years, the association said civilians in cantonment areas continue to be denied this right. It added that the absence of an elected board has stalled development, left civic issues unresolved and weakened accountability and grievance redressal mechanisms.
In a separate representation, the Cantonment Vikas Manch urged the Ministry to expedite the excision of civil areas of Secunderabad Cantonment and their merger with the GHMC through a clearly defined timeline.
“Residents of the cantonment have for decades lived under restrictive and outdated regulations that have hindered planned urban development, despite the area being located in the heart of Hyderabad. While GHMC has expanded and modernised by absorbing surrounding gram panchayats and corporations, the cantonment has remained an island of stagnation, cut off from municipal infrastructure funding and democratic administrative benefits,” the representation said.
Published – December 30, 2025 07:42 pm IST
