From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: The defence ministry has decided to phase out all British Raj era military cantonments all over the country. The first cantonment to go last week was at Yol in Himachal Pradesh and the next in line to go is Nasirabad in Ajmer district of Rajasthan, the last one set up 1962.There are total 62 cantonments in 19 states having a total of 1.6 lakh acres, with a population of 50 lakh military and civilian people. The government issued a notiication fo Yol last week.The military area within the cantonment will be converted into the military stations and the civil area will be merged with the nearby municipality. The cantonments are independent run by the Centre unlike the municipalities run by the state governments.
This will stop harassment of the civilians living in the cantonments in no obstacle in the free movements and giv them access to various municipal schemes.
The cantonments were established far away from the cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Pune, Kolkata, Ambala and Jalandhar, but the population explosion has resulted in they falling in the cities.
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