Himachal Pradesh: In a major departure from archaic colonial practice of creating cantonments, Yol (Young Officers Living) town in Himachal Pradesh has shed its tag as a cantonment.
The Military Area within the Cantonment will be converted into a Military Station and the Civil Area will merge with the Municipality. A notification to this effect was published by the Government on 27 April 2023, defence officials informed.
This move will prove beneficial to all alike. Civilians who were, until now, not getting access to the state government welfare schemes through the Municipality, will now be in a position to avail these through the Municipality. As far as the Army is concerned, they too could now focus on the development of Military station, officials said.
This is a first among a series of excision of cantts and is a move that has been welcomed by all. Cantts are deemed Municipalities and running Municipalities is a State subject, officials added.
How Yol will benefit?
The sources said the move will prove beneficial to all stakeholders and that civilians, who until now were not getting access to welfare schemes of the state government through the municipality, will now be able to avail them.
"As far as the Army is concerned, it too could now focus on the development of the military station," said a source.
There were 56 cantonments at the time of Independence and six more were notified after 1947. The last Cantonment to be notified was Ajmer in 1962.
Civilian residents of the cantonments generally do not get benefits of welfare schemes of the respective state governments as the military facilities are governed by cantonment boards through the Defence Estates Department of the Ministry of Defence.
The sources said there has been a popular demand from civilian residents and also state governments for the excision of cantonments.
A considerable portion of the defence budget is spent on the development of civil areas of the cantonments, noted an official.
He said due to the ever-increasing expansion of civil areas of cantonments, there is pressure on prime defence land in these facilities.
"Cantonments are colonial structures and military stations can be better administered by taking such steps," said another official.
(With inputs from PTI)
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