The biggest cantonment in the country, Secunderabad, failed to find a spot on the list of top 20 cantonments as per Swachh Survekshan rankings released on Saturday.
The report evaluated 4,203 local bodies including cantonments on the basis of services provided, observation and citizen feedback through an app between January and March. An overall score was then assigned. As per the report, Delhi’s Cantonment was ranked as the best performing cantonment. It was also awarded the best cantonment board. Secunderabad Cantonment Board secured 46th rank.
Largest cantonment
With a 40 square-kilometre area and a population of nearly 4 lakh, Secunderabad Cantonment is among the largest. However, it failed to rank on the list of top 20 cantonments which are significantly smaller and with predominant army presence. “The rankings were based on many things included documentation submitted. There were some issues with the documentation submission as we got to know of the exercise only in December,” said SCB CEO S.V.R Chandra Shekar.
Representatives of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board have blamed shortage of funds for failure to improve service delivery. During a recent meeting with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, elected ward members demanded payment of service-charge arrears amounting to ₹ 450 crore, even as they rued they are unable to carry out activities under the Swachh Bharat Mission.
