Uncertainty over move continues; residents, officials still wait for policy
Neeraj Bagga
Amritsar, May 3
After the Ministry of Defence (MoD) set in motion the designation of military areas within most of the 62 cantonments in the country as military stations and merge the civil areas with municipalities, the move is likely to demerge civil pockets from the Amritsar cantonment as well.
Merging of cantonment civil areas with MC
The Amritsar Cantonment Board has been administering the civil area with a population of over 10,000 residents. An open air gym has also been set up in the cantonment park.
The Board also has civilian representatives in addition to military officials, and both operate it together.
There are 25 bungalows of the British rea in the cantonment. Each bungalow is sprawling as it is spread on several acres. Four private schools run from as many bungalows whose owners had died without leaving an heir.
Vijay Mehra, whose family has been living in the area since 1936, said it was too early to say what would be the impact of the move.
He added that a lot of discussion has been going among the residents of the All-India Cantonment Bungalow Owners’ Association. As the norms have not been elaborated by the government, it was not possible to comment at this juncture how things would unfold, he said. “Undoubtedly, the civic amenities are good here and green cover is ample but occasional restrictions on movement sometimes bother civilians,” he said.
In the past, the cantonment board had come under criticism for neglecting commercial activities that were going on unabated in the Defence Estate Land, or bungalows located in the cantonment area in violation of norms.
When the violations were brought to the notice of the board, its officials acted swiftly against offenders. In 2018, acting on the directions of the Defence Estate, the board had sealed a marriage palace, an illegal parking lot and a vehicle washing place located opposite to the District Courts Complex.
The Board has its share of achievements as well. The cantonment was also awarded the coveted ‘Raksha Mantri’ award for excellence under the ‘Swachh Bharat’ mission in 2018 and became the first cantonment in the country to launch the Solid and Liquid Resource Management System (SLRMS) on the pattern of ‘Vellore model’ the same year.
In 2017 the Cantonment Board had set up a ‘Wall of Kindness’ by installing a rack and a few hangers on a main road to help the needy. People come to donate things here. Same year the ACB had received the open defecation free (ODF) certificate from the Union government for achieving the targets in its area.
The cantonment board authorities could not be contacted for a comment.
MC Commissioner Sandeep Rishi said his office had not received any written instructions so far. In case any such development takes place in the future, the MC would be ready to take care of the area, he added.
