VCs of cantt boards to meet defence min, seek change in British era laws

LUCKNOW: Vice-chairmen (V-C) of more than 25 Cantonment Boards of Central Command are going to meet in Lucknow to discuss their strategy for May 4 when they are scheduled to meet defence minister Nirmal Sitaraman to press for change in age-old British era laws.

Vice-chairman, Lucknow Cantonment Board, Pramod Sharma said, “It is high time the MoD looked into the issues in the cantonment to provide better living conditions to the residents. The colonial laws are too old and discriminatory towards native people. They were made to suit British not Indians. However, the Cantonment Boards of Central Command are all set to bid adieu to pre-independence era building by-laws which are causing a great hindrance in the development of the cantonment areas. We all need new building by-laws for residential and commercial areas besides for industrial, educational and medical areas.”

As per the existing law, if you want to construct a house in cantonment area, then you will have to raise 18 inch wide walls and have to leave 30% area even in 500 square feet plot.

He said, “Residents of the cantonment are hopeful that with the removal of the archaic British laws, they can build a house on 9 inch walls. They can go for easy mutations and can purchase and sell their properties as others do in residential areas.”

Sharma said that another demand was to appoint the chairman of the cantonment board an elected member and not a General Officer Commanding (GOC).

CEO of Lucknow Cantonment Board, Amit Mishra said, “The vice-chairmen of 25 Cantonment Boards are meeting here but everything has to be decided by the ministry of defence.”