HYDERABAD: Residents of Secunderabad are once again grappling with sudden road closures in the cantonment area, despite repeated instructions from the ministry of defence that such restrictions cannot be enforced without following the Cantonments Act. According to the Federation of North Eastern Colonies of Secunderabad (FNECS), gates at Ammuguda, Holy Trinity Church, Eagle Chowk and Lakdawala are being shut without notice, while the RA Lines stretch is filled with speed breakers that make it unusable for two-wheelers. “These closures came soon after the state government announced a new road project and described it as an ‘alternative road.’ Why is this term used here and nowhere else? These should be called additional roads under the SRDP, not alternatives. This is a way to fool Secunderabad,” questioned C.S. Chandrasekhar, federation secretary. Residents say their daily travel is being stretched to 9 km for what should have been an 800-metre link. A long-time resident, who did not want to be named, described the situation as unpredictable: “They close a road for some days, then open it. No public notices, no clear reasons. The ministry had ordered these roads reopened years ago, but some have been closed again at night. If this continues, 10 lakh people across Alwal, Kapra and Malkajgiri are affected.” The closures contradict a series of defence ministry orders. In May 2018, all blocked roads were directed to be reopened. A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued on September 4, 2018, made it clear that no road could be closed without publishing notices, calling for objections, sending proposals for vetting by the ministry and issuing a final order through the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief. Emergency closures were permitted only with higher approval and for limited durations. In April 2023, the ministry again instructed that 12 roads across cantonments, including five in Secunderabad, be opened immediately. Despite this, the Hyderabad traffic police in 2022 documented six roads still closed. In a letter to the Cantonment Board, the police said the closures violated procedure and created severe congestion. They noted that more than 25,000 vehicles were affected daily, average speeds had dropped to 24.8 kmph in the area compared to 27 kmph citywide, and fuel consumption had risen by 5,000 litres a day because of the diversions. Officials at the Cantonment Board, however, claimed no complaints had reached them. “We have not received any formal representations about road closures, except for one case of ID checks at a gate. If any permanent closure is noticed, we will write to the Army authorities and insist that they follow the due procedure,” said Madhukar Naik, chief executive officer of the Board. Meanwhile, the state government has fast-tracked a new road corridor through Malkajgiri, describing it as an ‘alternative road.’ Residents argue the term is misleading as the alignment lies several km away from the stretches being closed. “So many link roads are built elsewhere in Hyderabad, but they are never called alternatives. Here they are trying to justify closures by pushing a road that does not serve Secunderabad,” Chandrasekhar asked.