Road closures return to Secunderabad Cantonment, residents call for action

Road closures have returned to Secunderabad Cantonment, causing major disruptions for commuters. Residents have expressed frustration over the lack of prior notice, urging the Local Military Authority to provide timelines for reopening affected roads, with plans for official representations

Hyderabad: After a gap of almost two years, road closures are back in Secunderabad Cantonment area, leaving residents exasperated at the restrictions.

Locals expressed frustration over the inconvenience caused by the renewed restrictions imposed by the Local Military Authority (LMA) and cited disruptions to daily commutes and access to essential services. The sudden road closures have affected the north-eastern part of Secunderabad and GHMC circles of Malkajgiri.

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Residents have questioned the lack of prior notice and are demanding that the LMA provide a timeline for reopening of the affected roads.

“We fought the closure of civilian roads and our efforts to have them reopened yielded results when the Ministry of Defence issued orders in April 2023 to reopen all the six roads. Now, for the past few days, the LMA has started closing certain roads, causing inconvenience to daily commuters,” Federation of North-Eastern Colonies of Secunderabad (FNES) secretary CS Chandrasekhar told ‘Telangana Today’.

Protnee Road is completely closed while another civilian road, Ammuguda, is being closed between 8 pm and 7 am, he said, adding that uncertainty continued about Lakdawala Gate which is being closed and opened.

Chandrasekhar urged the defence authorities to issue either a public notice or put up a sign board on the closing and opening timings for the convenience of general public.

Additionally, Holy Trinity Church gate and Eagle Chowk have been closed, forcing commuters to take a long detour. Another road leading to an Army school after Ammuguda gate has been completely shut while the RA Lines road has access issues due to jumbo speed breakers, Chandrasekhar said.

The FNES plans to send a representation on the illegal closure of roads to the Ministry of Defence, SCB Chief Executive Officer, Malkajgiri Member of Parliament and the MA&UD seeking reopening of these roads.

When contacted, a senior SCB official said he was unaware of the closure of roads and that no representation has been received on this issue so far.