SCB residents protest sudden road closures, question ‘alternative roads’ plan

Hyderabad: Residents of Secunderabad are once again facing the brunt of sudden road closures inside the Cantonment limits, despite clear Ministry of Defence (MoD) orders issued in 2018 directing that public roads cannot be shut without due procedure.

Roads closed, mobility curtailed

Several key routes, long used by civilians, are now shut or restricted:

• Ammuguda Gate: Closed from 8 pm to 7 am.

• Holy Trinity Church Gate: Completely closed.

• Eagle Chowk: Closed.

• Road leading to Army School after Ammuguda: Shut fully.

• RA Lines Road: Open, but packed with 10 speed breakers, including three jumbo double humps on a 200-metre stretch — ‘practically impossible for two-wheelers to drive,’ residents say.

• Lakdawala Gate: Opened and closed ‘randomly’ at will.

According to local associations, these closures resumed only after the State government recently announced ‘alternative roads’ for Secunderabad residents.

Why alternative roads?

Residents are questioning the terminology used by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).

“Why call them alternative roads? Why not additional link roads under the Strategic Road Development Programme (SRDP)?” asked CS Chandrashekar, Secretary, Federation of North Eastern Colonies of Secunderabad (Green Sainikpuri), speaking to NewsMeter.

“This term ‘alternative’ is being used only here in Secunderabad and nowhere else in Hyderabad. It creates a false narrative that civilians must give up existing routes inside the Cantonment and accept far-off roads instead. This is not just semantics, it is an injustice,” he added.

Orders and the law

The controversy goes back to 2018, when the MoD issued clear instructions after widespread protests against road closures in Cantonments. Here’s a timeline of the events:

- On May 21, 2018, the Army Headquarters ordered that all partially or fully closed roads in Cantonments be reopened with effect from May 22, 2018. A simplified SOP was also promised, requiring reviews of closures based on security concerns and civilian needs.

- On September 4, 2018, the MoD issued a directive making it ‘absolutely essential to follow the procedure prescribed in Section 258 of the Cantonments Act, 2006.’ This mandated that:

• Notices of closure must be published in three newspapers and on the Cantonment Board website.

• Claims, objections, and suggestions from the public must be considered.

• Final approval for closure lies only with the Ministry of Defence.

Despite this, residents allege that closures have been imposed arbitrarily.

“The Army does not have the right to shut public roads unilaterally. It has to be routed through the Cantonment Board, and the final decision rests with the Defence Ministry,” Chandrashekar said.

A renewed agitation

The Federation of North Eastern Colonies and other local groups are preparing to restart their agitation. They argue that the so-called ‘alternative roads’ are not viable substitutes for the long-established civilian access through the Cantonment.

“Roads should never be shut. No one has the right to shut public roads. Years of structure and connectivity have gone waste because of these decisions,” Chandrashekar said.

Residents say the issue is not with the construction of new roads which they welcome, but with the framing. “We don’t oppose new roads. We oppose calling them alternative. This terminology is the culprit. It is being used to justify fresh closures,” Chandrashekar stressed.

A question of trust

The closures have reignited questions about governance, transparency and the balance between military security and civilian rights. For residents of Secunderabad, the concern goes beyond inconvenience—it is about whether the rule of law is being upheld.

As Chandrashekar put it: “This is a larger conspiracy. The name ‘alternative roads’ is being used to fool Secunderabad. If the orders of the Ministry of Defence and the Cantonments Act mean anything, these closures must be rolled back immediately.”