The Maharashtra government, led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Thursday approved the merger of six cantonment boards with local municipal bodies or their conversion into new local bodies to ensure better amenities and development.
The Pune and Khadki cantonment boards will be merged with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), while the Aurangabad cantonment will be integrated with the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC). The Deolali and Ahmednagar cantonments will be converted into independent municipal councils, and the Kamptee cantonment will be merged with the Yerkhada Nagar Panchayat.
The decision was announced at a high-level meeting held at the state legislature complex during the ongoing monsoon session.
Speaking about the development, Fadnavis said, “For years, residents of cantonment areas have been demanding better civic infrastructure, which is often lacking due to jurisdictional limitations. Hence, the Union government took a policy decision to merge such areas with adjoining municipal corporations and councils.”
“Each cantonment has a unique situation. Accordingly, some will be merged with local corporations, while others will be reorganised as new municipal bodies. Matters related to taxes, electricity, water supply, financial management, and staff deployment in these areas will be handled as per the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Defence,” he added.
Why has the Dehu Road Cantonment Board not been merged?
There are a total of seven cantonment boards in Maharashtra. The government has decided to merge six of them with local municipal bodies or convert them into new local bodies. However, Dehu Road is the only cantonment board that has been excluded. It has been decided that Dehu Road will remain independent due to security and strategic considerations.
