NEW DELHI – The Indian government has decided to abolish all military cantonment boards in the country that were established during the colonial era.
Indian media reports say the areas where civil people are living will be administered by the local municipal bodies and the army areas in the cantonment will be converted into military stations. There are 62 cantonment boards across the country in total.
The disbanding process will be started from the YoI cantonment in Himachal Pradesh and it will be extended to other parts of the country gradually.
The decision is aimed at decolonising the entire system of cantonment boards, which were established in India under the British rule.
The development comes after the civilian residents of the YoI cantonment demanded exclusion from the cantonment area to seek development activities.
Pakistan, which gained Independence from the British-ruled India in 1947, hosts 56 cantonment boards across the country.
Earlier this week, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shireen Mazari called for revisiting the legislation related to the cantonment areas.
In a tweet, the former human rights minister said: “Cantonments are a colonial remnant where colonists safeguarded themselves against the locals. In the free world there are mly [military] bases where mly personnel are stationed with their families & hardware”.
Cantonments are a colonial remnant where colonists safeguarded themselves against the locals. In the free world there are mly bases where mly personnel are stationed with their families & hardware. In our Cantts majority are elite civilians in private homes paying taxes to cantt… https://t.co/2KadOuTjij
— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) May 1, 2023
“In our Cantt areas, majority are elite civilians living in private homes and paying taxes to the boards rather than city municipalities,” she lamented.
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