Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy to speak on merger of Secunderabad Cantonment Board with GHMC soon, says MLA

Hyderabad: The long-overdue merger between the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) could be nearing completion. Secunderabad MLA Sri Ganesh revealed that chief minister Revanth Reddy would make a major announcement regarding the merger's status in a week's time. Speaking to TOI, the MLA described the announcement as "an extremely positive update," and said there would be more clarity on when exactly the merger will take place."The merger is a top priority for the chief minister. Residents here have unfortunately been suffering from long-standing unresolved civic issues, and once the merger takes place, the state govt will take over and ensure that all public grievances are addressed. I assure residents that they won't have to wait much longer for the merger," Sri Ganesh said.The completion of the merger will see the transfer of civic responsibilities and administration from the cash-stricken SCB to the GHMC. Similar mergers between municipal bodies and cantonment boards in other parts of the country, like Pune and Aurangabad, have already been completed.While this comes as good news and a victory for residents who have long sought a merger, a dose of defeat is also coming their way as the 200-foot road-widening project, which they have been opposing for many months, will proceed without any changes, the MLA said."With the ever-increasing traffic and number of vehicles on the road, this project is necessary to ease traffic congestion and the movement of vehicles. While I understand that some property owners will be affected by the project, it will benefit the greater good. Affected property owners will be amply compensated," the MLA added.The MLA was speaking on the sidelines of a public forum aimed at addressing public grievances and civic apathy, which was organised at the Bowenpally ground in ward-1 on Wednesday. The forum, the first of its kind and organised by the MLA, drew more than 1,000 residents from in and around localities within the SCB. Residents directly interacted with SCB CEO Madhukar Naik and officials from the health, sanitation, engineering, and electrical departments, as well as state govt representatives, to convey their grievances.Out of the 1,000 residents who participated in the forum, 80% were from Below Poverty Line (BPL) and made their way to the stalls set up by the govt for the issuance of ration cards, availing of old-age pension and to submit applications for a house under the Indiramma scheme and free electricity supply.Other long-standing issues like bad roads, poor drainage lines, and bad water too were brought to the notice of the SCB officials who had also set up stalls to receive grievances. A sizeable group from the Rajiv Rahadari Property Owners Joint Action Committee, who have been at the forefront of protests against the road-widening project, also came to meet the MLA and submitted a petition asking him to put an end to the project.Speaking on the occasion, the CEO appreciated the MLA for conducting the event and said all the issues that were listed would be resolved at the earliest."More such forums will be conducted every month in each of the eight different wards. We have taken note of people's needs, and soon, the Secunderabad constituency will no longer be remembered as an area that endured many civic problems, but a constituency that is free from them," the MLA said.There were, however, some dissatisfied voices. "The forum did not focus on real issues plaguing the residents of SCB, like the troubles we face with land inheritance and acquiring building permissions. All the issues that were discussed today can be resolved in the blink of an eye," said Md Jalaluddin, an employee at an MNC.Another resident, Balraj of Rasoolpura, said: "I applied for a ration card more than six months ago, but I still haven't received it. Without a ration card, I won't be eligible for getting ration, nor any of the other schemes that have been guaranteed for BPL citizens."