Secunderabad Cantonment Board
Secunderbad Cantonment Board (SCB) is the civic administration agency for the city of Secunderabad, India.
Large parts of Secunderabad city and some parts of the Hyderabad city come under the jurisdiction of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) due to the large military presence, existing right from the days of the British. The infrastructure management and civic administration in the cantonment are handled by the SCB, which comes under the purview of the union Defence Ministry of the Government of India. As per the Cantonment Act, 2006, Secunderabad is a Class-I cantonment. In terms of geographical area and population Secunderabad is the largest of all the 62 cantonments in India and is also one of the largest in the world. To honour the progress achieved by the British officers stationed at Secunderabad Cantonment in Hyderabad, the erstwhile British government established 10 acres (4.0 ha) of land for building a Clock Tower in 1860.[1]
The serving local military Station Commander acts as the President of the Board. The GOC of the Indian Army's Secunderabad-based Andhra Sub Area is the President of SCB. The CEO of the Board - an officer appointed by the Union Government - also acts as its Secretary. Half the members on the Board are elected by the civilian population in the Cantonment Board general elections and the other half include the CEO, the District Collector of Hyderabad and military officers nominated by the Board's President. Though not members of the Board, the local MP and MLA are treated as special invitees to the Board meetings.
History
Before Indian Independence and Police action in 1948, this was under the control of the British. Hence the legacy continues to this day, for not being part of the Hyderabad civic authority. The Prime Minister of Britain during the World War-II Sir Winston Churchill, while serving under the British Army in his early days (c. 1896), was stationed in the Secunderabad Cantonment, in the Trimulgherry area.
Present Day
The Secunderabad Cantonment Board, informally known as Cantonment is responsible among other things for Drinking Water, Drainage, Roads, Sewage, Garbage disposal, Municipal Taxes. The main offices are housed in a British Era building near the edge of the Cantonment. The complex also houses the office of the DCP and a Court.
Potable water is supplied to the residents of the Cantonment on a fixed delivery timeline, once every two or three days based on the locality.
Laying and maintaining of Sewer lines is a function of the SCB and one can often see the workers clearing clogged manholes during a work day.
All house plans need to be approved by the Cantonment before start of any construction activity. House taxes are collected on a yearly basis and the Cantonment sends out bills with amounts due to the residents. The taxes are expected to be paid at the Cantonment main office.
Garbage collection is performed by trucks bearing the name of SCB. In most localities, garbage is cleared on a regular basis either by burning on site or transporting it. However, one can see areas where construction debris is dumped at the Garbage bins on a regular basis. One such location is near the very busy Trimulgherry junction.
References
- ↑ "Time stands still at Clock Tower". The Hindu. 13 February 2007. Retrieved 7 November 2010.