Delay in Secunderabad Cantonment elections hurting governance, says former official

Former vice-president of Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB), Jampanna Pratap, gave a memorandum to the senior Defence Estate Officer C. Ravindra, raising concerns over the prolonged delay in conducting elections to Cantonment Boards, stating that the absence of elected representatives has weakened democratic governance and stalled developmental activities in cantonment areas.

According to Mr. Pratap, proposals circulated by the Parliament Secretariat suggested that the election of the vice-president and other board members be conducted on party symbols, similar to municipal elections. Another proposal involved merging Cantonment Boards with nearby urban local bodies. A six-member committee was constituted to study the merger proposal and visited several Cantonment Boards across the country before submitting its report. However, no final decision has been taken so far.