New Delhi:

The central government has stepped up the process of separating civilian areas from defence areas, and property rights over assets in 13 military cantonments will be shifted to local municipalities. This means that while military stations will remain with the forces, areas outside it will be transferred to the state government.

In a letter to the cantonments, the government has laid out broad guidelines for excision of civil areas and their merger with state municipalities. These guidelines, the letter state, were chalked in a meeting chaired by Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane last week.

“The propriety rights over all assets meant for providing civic amenities and municipal services in the excised area shall be transferred to State Government/State Municipalities free of Cost Assets & Liabilities of the Cantonment Boards shall be transferred to State Municipality,” the letter said.

It also clarified that the government will retain title rights where applicable.

“Municipality shall be able to impose local taxes/fees over such areas under its jurisdiction. However, while segregating the areas, the security concerns of Armed Forces would be given due priority in case there are some such privately held lands where the segregation is impinging on security of Military Station, same shall be considered in case to case basis,” the order added.

Why Is This Being Done

There is a sense in the government that cantonments are a part of an archaic colonial legacy and the current system deprives residents of these areas from the access to some welfare schemes of the state government.

The issue of separation of civil and military areas goes back to the post-Independence period. In 1948, a committee headed by Congress veteran SK Patil had recommended the excision of civil areas in six Cantonments. But this plan was scrapped, citing public opposition to such a move. This issue has come up on multiple occasions since then, and the government’s latest move plays out against that backdrop.

The Defence Ministry owns nearly 18 lakh acres and is the largest landowner in the country. In the past, parliamentary panels have flagged the use of defence funds for non-military purposes, such as civic expenditures in civilian areas part of cantonments.

The country currently has 62 notified cantonments that together hold 1.61 lakh acres. Currently, all civil and municipal affairs are handled by military cantonment boards.

A big question, however, is whether civic bodies, already reeling under a staff and funds crunch, can handle the added responsibility.