No vehicle check at Army Cantt, forces see red

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 24

The Army has instructed its personnel not to stop or check civilian vehicles entering military cantonments across the country, leading to voices of protest.

A letter issued to all commands by Lt Gen RK Anand, Director General, Land Works and Environment Directorate, stipulates that civilians can use all roads inside cantonments.

“All barriers, check-posts and roadblocks will be removed. Vehicles will not be stopped or checked,” says the May 21 letter.

Retired personnel have taken to the social media to voice their concern over how such orders may be detrimental to the safety and security of Army personnel and their families, given that terrorists have targeted military stations in the past.

A large number of families of soldiers posted on “tough duties” like Siachen, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh live in accommodation provided inside cantonments.

The instructions are the outcome of a May 19 meeting chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to review the “closure of roads in cantonments”. It was decided that all roads, partially or fully closed, would be opened on May 22. Around 80 roads have been opened for civilian use. As per the Director General of Defence Estates, 62 cantonments, including Ambala, Amritsar, Dagshai, Dalhousie, Delhi, Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Kasauli and Subathu, are notified under the Cantonments Act 1924, amended in 2006.

The letter stipulates that sentries will record the flow of traffic on these roads for 30 days. A review of the threat perception and security concerns, besides inconvenience to the civilian population, will follow.

A senior functionary, however, said this review should have been carried out before opening these roads. A January 2015 letter by the Army lays down specific rules and procedures for opening roads in cantonments. It calls for a review before any such move.

There has been concern over how the civilian population is inconvenienced owing to the closure of roads in places like Secunderabad and Pune. However, there is umbrage within the force and ex-servicemen over lack of review of the risk involved.

The May 21 letter, however,  exempts Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar, Satwari road at Jammu Divisional Headquarters, and Parade road in Delhi Cantonment, which will remain open to public from 5 am to 11 pm.