HYDERABAD: Hopes for the merger of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation were revived when the Centre extended the term of the SCB’s body for another year.
This decision, along with a gazette notification issued for 55 other Cantonment boards, allows the SCB to operate without holding elections for an additional year. The board’s elected body term expired in 2021, and previously, the varied board’s term was extended every six months.
The varied board consists of SCB president Brigadier NV Nanjundeshwara, CEO Madhukar Naik, and nominated member J Ramakrishna. The ministry of defence issued the gazette notification confirming the extension.
Officials interpret the appointment of the varied board as the Centre signalling its intent to merge SCB with GHMC, though some unresolved issues remain. The Times of India ran a campaign on the merger and various issues being faced by the residents of civilian areas.
Discussions on the merger, which have been ongoing for two years, were initially progressing but slowed down due to elections. The last significant development was a Dec 2024 meeting involving the director general of defence estates, military authorities, and the state chief secretary.
Ramakrishna met the new defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh a couple of weeks ago and appraised him of the merger issues. Delays in the merger stem primarily from complications around defence lands and the demarcation between civilian and defence areas.
High-value lands, such as B-3, B-4, and C lands, as well as leased and old grant properties, would need to be transferred to the state govt for the merger to proceed. Some senior officials in the Centre have resisted handing over these lands.
