The battle for Secunderabad cantonment merger heats up Premium

In Begumpet, Hyderabad, residents face water supply challenges amid debates over SCB-GHMC merger for better living conditions.

In Begumpet, a bustling area of Hyderabad, where gleaming car showrooms and upscale restaurants line the main road, there exists the quieter Rasoolpura that often goes unnoticed. Just behind the vibrant facade, in the narrow lanes beside Begumpet Traffic Police Station, lies a part of Ward 2 of the Secunderabad Cantonment area.

Here, Sajida Begum, 57, lives in a modest one-bedroom house with her two sons and their wives. Her home stands in stark contrast to the bright lights and big-city sheen just a street away. Sajida’s daily life is marked by a struggle that many in her ward face: erratic water supply.

“We get water once in six days. It’s a challenge managing our family’s needs with such limited supply,” she laments. An unseen line demarcates the cantonment area and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) area, marking a significant difference in the quality of life.

Sajida’s home stands at the entrance of a narrow lane lined with modest houses like hers. Adjacent to it is a distinctive 2,000-litre black water tank, positioned at knee height with three taps attached to it at the bottom. Unlike the traditional rooftop tanks that supply water to most homes, this tank holds borewell water. “When our regular water supply runs dry, this tank becomes our lifeline. It is what we rely on for cooking, drinking, and bathing.”

Despite being located in a bustling area of Hyderabad, parts of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) struggle with inadequate infrastructure and erratic water supply. But the potential merger of the SCB with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has sparked hope among residents of better living conditions and resolution of long-standing issues.

Those advocating for the merger believe it could resolve longstanding issues by integrating the area into a larger municipal framework. However, some residents argue that addressing specific concerns, such as irregular water supply and higher property taxes, would make the merger unnecessary. As the Ministry of Defence progresses with guidelines for excising civil areas from cantonment limits, the debate continues on how best to improve the quality of life for SCB residents.

For instance, in Balamrai, a locality in Ward 3 located right next to the boundary wall of Begumpet Airport, the monsoon brings more than just rain. “It is not only the lanes, even our homes get flooded. And that brings life to a halt. Every time before elections, when the candidates come to ask for votes, they promise to resolve this problem, but decades have passed and governments have changed, but our situation remains the same,” says P. Padmaja, a housewife.