Residents want SCB to tap vacant B4 land for devpt of civilian areas

Hyderabad: Though the final report of the excision of civilian areas from the limits of Secunderabad Cantonment that will outline the properties that will be transferred to GHMC is yet to be finalised, the residential welfare associations of Secunderabad Cantonment have urged the State government to utilise 98.83 acres of B4 category empty land to develop civilian areas.

Recently, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the excision of civilian areas from the limits of Secunderabad Cantonment, integrating them into the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), but how many acres of land will be transferred is yet to be finalised. As per data from the officials of Secunderabad Cantonment Board, approximately 2,670 acres of civilian land that includes 350 residential colonies, 16 bazaars, 414 acres of Central government land, 501 acres of leased and old grants sites and 260 acres of vacant land parcels are under SCB limits. But there is no clarity on how much land and which old bungalows will be transferred.

Locals of SCB expressed that the announcement of the merger with GHMC has come as a boon and it will be better if the committee submits the final report to the State government as soon as possible so that the merger can take place soon.

“As there are around 98.83 acres of empty land under the B4 category which are lying barren in Cantonment areas, it would be better if the State government comes up with a proposal of using the empty land for infrastructural development and transferring to GHMC limits once the merger takes place,” said Suresh Kumar, a resident of Secunderabad Cantonment.

“For decades we had centuries-old infrastructure that needed a massive makeover, and for that we required land. It would be better if B4 lands lying empty in Cantonment are transferred to the State government after the merger, so that infrastructural development can take place that includes proper educational institutions, health centres which can come up over here”, said Fasiuddin, another resident.

“Secunderabad Cantonment is presently classified as ‘A2’, ‘B1’, ‘B2’, ‘B3’, ‘B4’, and ‘C’ in the General Land Register (GLR) of the Cantonment, which is to be excised and brought under the jurisdiction of GHMC. As there are many open plots in SCB lying in a neglected condition, we are hoping that after the merger the plots will be used for the development of the area,” said S Ravindra, another resident of Cantonment.