Fri Nov 22 18:45:51 UTC 2024: ## Secunderabad Cantonment Residents Urge Faster Merger with GHMC
**Hyderabad, November 23, 2024** – The Cantonment Vikas Manch, a Secunderabad-based NGO, has appealed to the Parliamentary Defence Standing Committee to expedite the merger of the Secunderabad Cantonment’s civil areas with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). In a letter addressed to the committee, including Chairperson Radha Mohan Singh, the NGO highlighted the plight of the cantonment’s 4.5 lakh residents who, they claim, suffer from inadequate budgetary allocation, manpower shortages, and deficient infrastructure.
The NGO argues that the merger would significantly improve infrastructure, amenities, and public services, resolving long-standing grievances. Their plea aligns with the Indian government’s June announcement to integrate civilian areas of cantonment boards nationwide into local municipalities. The Telangana State government, demonstrating its support, has urged the Defence Ministry to release implementation guidelines, stating its readiness to facilitate the merger. The Defence Ministry has since issued instructions on the procedural aspects of transferring civil areas. The NGO’s letter emphasizes that residents have “lived as second-class citizens” for decades, facing conditions inferior to even those in gram panchayats.
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