Hyderabad (The Hawk): On Wednesday, Hyderabad Police and Secunderabad Cantonment officials decided to conduct a joint assessment of the roadways in the Cantonment region in response to community requests for the reopening of the restricted routes.
General Officer Commanding (GOC) Brigadier K. Somashanker, Station in Charge Col. Sidharth, and other cantonment officials met with Hyderabad Police Commissioner C.V. Anand to discuss the matter.
The meeting came after Joint Commissioner of Police Ranganath and DCP North Zone Chandana Deepthi visited the station in charge's office last week in an effort to resolve the issue of roads that have been closed for ten years amicably.
The future was considered at the meeting on Wednesday. The Colonel's team and the DCP North Zone traffic team will jointly physically evaluate all the roads on Thursday to determine which ones may be opened up for public traffic and which ones are sensitive.
On the basis of the results of the joint inspection, a decision will be made.
According to the police commissioner, it is crucial to strike a balance between the security requirements of the military and defence establishments in the Cantonment region and the needs of the general population in terms of ease and free movement of traffic.
The Brigadier and Station Commander stated, "In view of the expanding population and automobile traffic, we are also ready to evaluate the viewpoint of public convenience and reconsider our stand.
To protect the safety and security of the defence people, the police commissioner pledged to send out more traffic enforcement officers, patrol vehicles, and patrolling teams on certain highways.
Additionally, he urged the general public and civilians to display patience and refrain from politicising or agitating the exercise being carried out to find a resolution in a cordial setting.
It may be recalled that in March of this year, K.T. Rama Rao, minister of municipal administration and urban development, warned that if the Local Military Authority (LMA) persisted in upsetting locals by obstructing roads and opposing development projects, power and water supply would be cut off to defence areas in Cantonment limits in the city.
Later, the minister met with Army representatives who gave him their assurance that the LMA will work with the state administration.
KTR, as the minister is called, had already sent letters to the defence minister requesting that he order the LMA to reopen the restricted routes.
Last year, the minister claimed that 21 roads in the Secunderabad Cantonment region were closed illegally, causing trouble for the locals.
Ajay Bhatt, the Union Minister of State for Defense, has disputed the minister's allegation that only two highways were closed, saying that 21 were closed instead.
Additionally, KTR had asked that the Secunderabad Cantonment Board be combined with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation if it is unable to provide basic services for residents.
(Inputs from Agencies)
