To reopen SCB roads, residents to do signature campaign

HYDERABAD: Troubled by the closure of roads within the Secunderabad Cantonment to civilian populations, residents of colonies in the area have taken it upon themselves to ensure that the issue is resolved.

A signature campaign was held in Yapral, Anand Bagh and Safilguda on Sunday. Around 600 people signed a grievance letter addressed to Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

In the letter, it is mentioned that roads within the Cantonment have been used by the public for over a century. These roads connect the residents of Secund-erabad to the rest of the city. The sudden closure of nearly a dozen stretches of road is causing commuters intense inconvenience.

The letter also points out that in January 2015, the ministry of defence issued orders to all Cantonments asking for all roads that had been closed in violation of Section 258 of the Canto-nments Act of 2006 to be opened. However, those orders were not followed by the SCB, to the surprise of local residents.

According to members of the Open Secunderabad Cantonment All Roads (OSCAR) group, signature campaigns will be taken up every Sunday, in various colonies. The letter, with all the signatures, will then be sent to the Defence Minister. It is intended to ensure that she appreciates the gravity of the problem and comes to the rescue of citizens who are troubled by the actions of the army.