Defending the Government’s decision to open roads for civilians in cantonments all over the country, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said here on Tuesday more than 100 roads were closed for many years without following proper procedures. After the recent order, 80 roads were opened, 15 partially opened, and 24 were yet to be opened, she said, adding the nod was given after due consultations with all the stakeholders, including the Army.
Making this clear, the Minister said there are 850 roads in 62 cantonments and 119 roads were shut for long period without following the laid-down norms.
Mentioning that she was conscious of the security issue raised by wives of Armymen, the Minister said she had met several of them a few days back.
Since concerns have been raised about security, the local Military Authorities will review the situation after a month and get back to the Government to take the final call, Sitharaman said. Any decision thereafter will be announced through the media in English and two local languages, she added.
Sitharaman said the decision to open cantonment roads was related to traffic issues and demands made by several MPs cutting across party lines besides elected representatives of cantonment boards. The Minister admitted complaints made by the elected members regarding closure of roads had substance.
Pointing out that the decision to throw open the roads was taken on May 24 after several rounds of consultations with all the stakeholders, including Army chief General Bipin Rawat.
MPs from all major parties including Congress, BJP, TMC, AIADMK, TRS, CPM and Shiv Sena took part in the deliberations, Sitharaman said.
Since the cantonments are managed by local Military Authorities, the Ministry also sought their feedback before giving the final nod, the Defence Minister said.
The Defence Minister also clarified that the decision to open roads was only applicable to cantonments where civil and military personnel live and work together. Military stations and bases were not covered in the directive, Sitharaman said.