7 months ago
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The Ministry of Defence has sanctioned a Grant-in-Aid of ₹304.62 crore to 50 shortage Cantonment Boards crossed the state for the fiscal twelvemonth 2025–26. As portion of this, the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) has received a grant-in-aid of ₹2.82 crore. This has sparked beardown disapproval from section residents and civic groups.
According to the 2011 Census, the colonisation of Secunderabad Cantonment stands astatine astir 2.25 lakh, but unofficial estimates bespeak that the existent fig exceeds 4.5 lakh. Civic representatives person described the allocation arsenic injustice for a Class-I Cantonment with specified a ample and increasing population. The Cantonment Vikas Manch, a section citizens’ body, pointed retired that respective smaller cantonments with populations of little than 50,000 person been granted allocations ranging from ₹6 crore to ₹25 crore. The radical has questioned the criteria and methodology utilized by the Ministry successful determining the assistance amounts, arguing that the disparity highlights a deficiency of fairness successful the organisation process.
According to the authorisation bid issued connected October 27, Meerut Cantonment received the highest Grant-in-Aid of ₹25 crore, followed by ₹19.9 crore for Pune Cantonment, ₹18.6 crore for Agra Cantonment, ₹17.7 crore for Jabalpur Cantonment and truthful on.
In a connection issued connected Tuesday, October 28 the Cantonment Vikas Manch demanded that a peculiar committee gathering beryllium convened instantly to sermon the allocation and that a revised connection seeking astatine slightest ₹30 crore beryllium sent to the Ministry of Defence. It besides urged the Board to expedite the reconciliation and betterment of pending work charges and dues owed to it.
The radical warned that nonaccomplishment to code the contented promptly would adversely impact developmental activities and payment measures successful the Secunderabad Cantonment area. It appealed to some the Cantonment Board and the Central Government to instrumentality the substance up with urgency and seriousness successful the nationalist interest.
Speaking to The Hindu, Arvind Kumar Dwivedi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Secunderbad Cantonment Board said that the allocation was done based connected the fiscal show of each cantonment board.
