The contentious issue of road closures by the Local Military Authority (LMA) in Secunderabad surfaced yet again this week, as locals have alleged that the restrictions on arterial roads have returned. In the latest confrontation, locals say that a board has been put up near Bison Gate, which states that the entry of civilians would be restricted from midnight of September 24 to September 29.
Speaking to TNM, Pranali, a resident of Yapral, who was stopped on Sunday, said, "I was stopped twice on Sunday. Once, while going through Valerian gate near my house in the morning, and Bison Gate in the evening. When we were stopped in the evening, we noticed the board near the Bison Gate. When we asked personnel on the ground, they said they had received orders to close the gate for civilians."
"If that was the case, civilians should be informed in advance, and not given a two-day notice period. They said that they had received a notice from Telangana and Andhra Sub Area (TASA)," she added, pointing out there was no authority who undersigned the notice.
Residents say that personnel have been citing security reasons to justify the restrictions, but are refusing to elaborate on it
"The TASA and Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) treat us like second-grade citizens. It is very stressful. On Monday, we decided to avoid that route and take a longer detour because we had to get to work and wanted to avoid a hassle in the morning. I guess that is what they want as well," Pranali says.
The latest issue comes amidst escalating tensions in the area, between civilians and defence personnel. Earlier this week, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) shot off a letter highlighting the closure of one particular road under the RK Puram Flyover, which was causing an inconvenience to several commuters. The letter from the GHMC dated September 19, to the Defence Estates Officer (DEO), said, "Closure of service road at RK Puram Flyover on the southern side by BISON Signals is causing inconvenience to the local public but we have not yet received any reply from you."
The GHMC had asked the DEO for ownership documents, besides copies of permissions granted for construction of a wall across the service road and for the erection of blue tin sheets on the flyover to block vision. It also sought land acquisition details if any, along with other related documents.
The municipal authority's letter comes as a shot in the arm for residents, who have been protesting against the blockade for years. The citizens say that because of this road closure, several vehicles are blocked from taking a U-turn, and are forced to either drive on the wrong side or take a long detour, which results in traffic congestion.
Road closures by the LMA have been a bone of contention between civilians and the Army officials for years now, as commuters claim that these blockades often result in long detours. Citizens claim that the LMA, over the last few years, shut 25 roads in the area. Some of these included arterial roads that turned an 800-metre ride into an 8-km detour.
Earlier this month, civilians had complained that the Army had imposed restrictions yet again near Valerian school in Yapral. As residents took to Twitter, Telangana Minister KT Rama Rao had also responded. "Extremely strange behaviour despite repeated requests from Government of Telangana and the local residents. I request Hon’ble Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to intervene and issue instructions to the local Cantonment officials to avoid inconvenience to the public," he tweeted.
Extremely strange behaviour despite repeated requests from Govt of Telangana and the local residents
— KTR (@KTRTRS) September 18, 2019
I request Hon’ble Defence Minister Sri @rajnathsingh Ji to intervene and issue instructions to the local Cantonment officials to avoid inconvenience to public https://t.co/rz4Esd6pyk
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