The Union government has accepted the Belagavi district administration’s proposal to establish a joint consultative committee for conducting a comprehensive survey of civilian areas within the military cantonment in the city. This step aims to address the discrepancies between the state government, the district administration, and the cantonment board regarding the extent of civilian areas to be integrated with the city corporation.
This decision was made during a video conference on Tuesday, involving officials from the Union Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the state government. Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan emphasized the need for a joint committee due to concerns from the state government about the cantonment board’s proposal on excising and transferring civilian areas to the city corporation.
Mr. Roshan noted that some groups, like the residents’ welfare association, claim that approximately 1,763 acres of the notified civilian area within the cantonment should be transferred, while the board is willing to transfer only 112 acres. MPs Jagadish Shettar and Iranna Kadadi, along with MLA Asif (Raju) Sait, opposed the board’s proposal during a recent meeting.
Following this, the MOD scheduled a separate meeting with deputy commissioners of cantonment towns. During this meeting, Mr. Roshan proposed forming a joint consultative committee similar to those in other states like Himachal Pradesh.
The proposed committee would include the Deputy Commissioner as chairman, the BCC commissioner as member secretary, the cantonment board CEO, the commissioner of Belagavi Development Authority, the project director of the District Urban Development Cell, and a representative from the cantonment board residents’ welfare association.
Once established, the committee will conduct a joint survey of civilian lands within the cantonment area. The meeting concluded with a commitment that relevant officers would update the MOD on further developments.
Cantonment Residents Demand Full Transfer to City Corporation
Residents of Belagavi’s cantonment area have called on the Union government to transfer all civilian areas within the military cantonment to the city corporation. However, the cantonment board proposes transferring only select areas, contrary to Ministry of Defence (MOD) directives.
The Belagavi Cantonment Residents Welfare Association has expressed frustration over the board’s reluctance to transfer all civilian areas.
Nitin Khot, urged the Union and state governments to ensure proper implementation of the MOD’s order. He argued that accepting the transfer of only 112 acres would burden the city corporation financially, as the tax revenue would be insufficient to cover the costs of providing municipal services to the entire area.
Deputy Commissioner Roshan stated he would address these issues in an upcoming meeting with concerned officials.