In a significant development, 112 acres of residential areas, market space, school, and hospitals will be transferred from the Belagavi Cantonment Board to the Belagavi City Corporation. This includes 58.82 acres of market area and the Cantonment school, hospital, and government offices within the fort area. The transfer plan was discussed in a recent board meeting, and a report will be sent to the Ministry of Defence for further deliberation. A detailed discussion is scheduled to take place on July 16 involving the Defence Ministry, State Government, and Cantonment Board.
CEO Rajeev Kumar mentioned that there are 61 Cantonment Boards across the country, and they are being transferred in a phased manner. He noted that two meetings have already been held regarding the Belagavi Cantonment Board. The market area will fall within municipal limits, although the purchase and sale of land and other transactions will remain under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defence. A notification from the central government has been issued in this regard.
A special meeting regarding the transfer was held on Saturday, July 6, at the Board Hall. The meeting was presided over by Brigadier Joydeep Mukherjee and attended by MP Jagdish Shettar, MP Iranna Kadadi, MLA Asif Seth, CEO Rajeev Kumar, and member Sudhir Tupekar. The Belagavi Cantonment Board encompasses three divisions covering 1,763 acres, out of which 112 acres will be handed over to the Municipal Corporation. This includes parts of the military base, market/residential areas, and the bungalow area.
58 acres of land will be given to the state government free of charge, while the remaining 54 acres, which include a school, hospital, and central bus stand, will require a deposit amount for the transfer. However, the bungalow area within the cantonment will remain under the jurisdiction of the Cantonment Board.
The current proposal excludes the bungalow area of the fort and camp. This area includes over 192 bungalows housing more than two thousand residents. Consequently, bungalow owners and public representatives have demanded that this area be transferred to the municipal corporation as well. Despite these demands, the transfer of the bungalow area was clearly refused, as it is part of the military area.
However, only the residential portion is set to be transferred. The bungalow area, comprising 192 bungalows, will remain with the Defence Estate. This decision has faced objections from MPs and MLAs, who argued that the bungalow area should also be transferred to the municipal corporation. Despite these objections, the army has denied the transfer of the bungalow area.
Residents have also expressed opposition to this decision, particularly concerning the part of the fort included in the camp area. They will be allowed to raise their objections. MP Kadadi suggested that the minutes of the meeting should reflect their registered objections.
Further details and decisions are anticipated following the upcoming meeting on July 16.
Such excision has wielded knives upon hearts of residents by cutting area largely inhabitated by Civil Population which is ultra vires the Statutory Provisions u/s 46 of the Cantonments Act 2006 (Cantonments Bill 2003 of Vajpayee Govt). It is not Excision but just an Exile of the few depriving the helpless beneficiaries for whom the Government is thinking contrary to 1st Mantra of Gandhiji chanted by PM Modiji and PM Vajpayee both in Mann ki Baat on 26 July 2020 to ascertain whether the step is of utility of the helpless for whom it is being taken.