Secunderabad Cantonment MLA Sri Ganesh leads a protest demanding the merger of the Cantonment area with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), near the Ambedkar statue at Karkhana in Secunderabad on Tuesday (January 20, 2026)
| Photo Credit: SIDDHANT THAKUR
Secunderabad Cantonment MLA, Sri Ganesh Narayanan, has intensified his demand to merge civil areas of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) be merged with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) before the upcoming Urban Local Body (ULB) elections, saying that any further delay would deny residents their democratic right to elect local representatives.
The MLA began a hunger strike in Hyderabad on Tuesday (January 20, 2026) accusing the Union Government of repeatedly postponing the merger and neglecting the welfare of the Cantonment residents.
The SCB polls were last held in January 2015 and the elections were not conducted since 2020. Speaking to The Hindu at the protest site, he said that the existing governance structure had left the Secunderabad Cantonment area without elected representatives and without adequate funds, resulting in stalled development and daily hardships for residents. “The absence of an elected local body has created an accountability vacuum in the area,” he added.
Mr. Narayanan stressed that the demand had become more urgent in view of the forthcoming GHMC elections. “The Cantonment area should be merged with the GHMC before the polls so that residents could vote for their representatives and participate fully in urban governance,” he added.
The MLA said that over the last six years, the Centre had issued gazette notifications every year extending the tenure of nominated members of the Cantonment Board by one year, without conducting elections. He argued that this pattern showed a lack of seriousness on the part of the Union government in restoring democratic governance in the Cantonment.
He also claimed that around ₹1,200 crores due to the Cantonment Board were not released and that no special grants were provided by the Centre.
Outlining the next steps of the protest, Mr. Narayanan said that he would give the Centre three days’ time to respond. After that, he said, they would announce their future course of action, including plans to travel to Delhi and increase pressure on the BJP-led Union government.
The MLA also criticised Malkajgiri MP Eatala Rajender, alleging that he had not taken any meaningful initiative on the merger despite repeated representations. He urged the MP to break his silence and take a proactive stand in favour of the Cantonment’s integration with GHMC.
Published – January 20, 2026 05:22 pm IST
