Residents question Secunderabad Cantonment for closing 'already closed roads'

Hyderabad: Secunderabad Cantonment Board has issued a notice that six of the roads will be permanently closed and the public will not be able to use them.

The notice also called for suggestions or any objection regarding the closure.

The roads mentioned in the notice include Ammuguda Road (500 meters), Byam Road (500 meters), Albain Road (700 meters), Empress Road (900 meters), Protence Road (500 meters), and Richardson Road (300 meters).

"Any person having any objection/suggestion on the closure notice to be forwarded the same to the office of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board within 21 days from the date of publication of this notice," read the letter.

Interestingly, the six roads are already closed, said residents. They feel that the notice is a blatant attempt to whitewash past illegalities. According to them, 21 roads including the six mentioned in the notice were illegally closed.

"All the roads mentioned in the notice issued by the Secunderabad Cantonment Board are already closed. Then why this notice for closing them again?" asked C.S. Chandrasekhar, secretary of the Federation of North Eastern Colonies of Secunderabad (FNECS).

"This notice is an attempt to pretend that these six roads are still open and the procedure of September 2018 is now being followed to close them for the first time," he added.

Residents said due to the closure of these roads, they are facing huge problems. "Ammuguda Road, Byam Road, Protence Road, and Richardson Road are lifelines connecting Bolarum and Alwal to Yapral, Balajinagar, and Sainikpuri. Students, senior citizens, and commuters are hard hit by their closure. The distance to Loyola Academy, St Anns, Trinity Church, Cantonment Hospital, and Lakdawala Bus Stop has gone up by many kilometers from the Yapral side. The same is the case with Valerian, Indus, KV, and Bhavans schools from Bolarum and Alwal side. RTC buses and share autos are barred on these roads," said Chandrasekhar.

Residents said walls have been built across Ammuguda Road and Richardson Road. According to the residents, Albain Road and Empress Road are used by students in the Trimulgherry area to reach their schools in the Lal Bazar area.