Secunderabad Cantonment Board approves handing over 33 acres for road widening

HYDERABAD: In a move aimed at alleviating traffic congestion in Secunderabad, the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) has given its approval to allocate 33 acres of land to the Telangana Government. The decision was made during a special meeting held on Friday, with the goal of widening roads between Paradise Circle to Suchitra Circle and from Gymkhana Grounds to Hakimpet Air Force Station.

This significant step is expected to facilitate the long-awaited expansion of roads that connect to the Hyderabad-Nagpur national highway 44 and the Hyderabad-Karimnagar State highway one (Rajiv Rahdari). By enhancing the road infrastructure, the congestion in Bowenpally and Tirumalagiri areas is anticipated to ease.

The SCB's resolution is a crucial development, but the larger vision of road widening, skyway construction, and Metro corridors hinges upon the transfer of 157 acres of land from various defence units to the State Government. This land allocation was determined following a comprehensive joint survey conducted by the Defence Estate Officer (DEO), Secunderabad Circle, and the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA).

SCB CEO Madhukar Naik clarified that while they had agreed to provide 33 acres under their management, decisions regarding the remaining 124 acres were pending and needed to be made by the respective departments.

The defence lands earmarked for the expansion consist of different categories, including Army lands and leased land. As part of the arrangement, the SCB has presented a request to the state government for Rs.329 crore in exchange for the allocated 33 acres.

Among the properties that would need to surrender land for the SRDP project is the Secunderabad Club, one of the oldest clubs in the country. The club is expected to cede nearly 1 acre of its land to make way for the Right of Way (RoW) essential for the proposed skyways.

Addressing inquiries from the media about land acquisition for the project, D Madhukar Naik, Chief Executive Officer of the SCB, expressed confidence in the acquisition of Secunderabad Club's land. This land, classified as B-3 category land, is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defence and has been granted on lease. Naik stated, "The Defence Estates Office, Telangana Circle, will handle the Club land matter."

Situated along the JBS-Karkhana stretch, the club's land falls within the demarcation process completed in 2017. Presently, the road width measures 30 meters, but it would need to be expanded to 60 meters to accommodate the requirements of the skyway project.

This move by the State Government comes after prolonged efforts to acquire these defense lands, crucial for executing the proposed skyways and other projects intended to mitigate traffic congestion. The proposal, originally introduced as part of the Strategic Road Development Programme (SRDP) in 2017, gained traction with Telangana's Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development, KT Rama Rao, meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi on June 23, urging the transfer of defence lands for this purpose.