Candlelight rally to protest closure of 21 public roads in Secunderabad Cantonment

HYDERABAD: The Federation of North-eastern Colonies of Secunderabad (FNCS) will hold a candlelight rally in protest of the illegal closure of 21 public roads in South Contonment Board (SCB). The rally will start at 5:30 pm from Alwal Rythu Bazar and will end at Bolaram Lakdawala Gate.

The FNCS group claims that Lakdawala Gate is a lifeline link for the Bollaram-Yapral and surrounding colonies, while calling for the reopening of public roadways shut down by local military authorities.

According to FNCS, the Army Chief issued orders to reopen the roads in 2018, and Raksha Mantri issued a Stand Operational Procedure (SOP) for any roads closed by Cantonment boards across India, including SCB, which has yet to implement them.

Residents claimed that instead of reopening "illegally closed" roads as per orders of Army Headquarters, they issued a new notice for permanent closure of six roads as if those roads were open.

Secretary of the Federation of Northeastern Colonies of Secunderabad (FNCS), CS Chandrashekhar, said, "We demand that the SCB first reopen those roads before considering public objections. The Secunderabad Cantonment Board's notice of permanent closure of six public roads is highly objectionable. We urge all affected citizens to join us in a peaceful candlelight march in support of the reopening of public roads closed by local military authorities. "