Ambala Cantonment - Latest News Update, Information, Photos & Videos on Ambala Cantonment at Lokmat Times

Like the country's 62 Cantonment towns, civil of the Ambala Cantonment too are facing problems of increasing pressure on civic amenities and its failure to cope up with the modern times.The civil, residing along the defence personnel families in this Cantonment, mainly complain about movement on restricted roads, long delay in transfer and mutation of properties held on old grant or lease, conversion of old grant or leasehold properties into freehold, and restriction on new constructions due to stringent bylaws.According to them, amendments are required to the Cantonment Act, 1924, by which Cantonments are administered.While Ambala Cantonment Board Vice-President Ajay Baweja said the Act was last amended in 2006 but the government at that time failed to give much relief to the civil. "The civil are facing issues that are affecting their day-to-day existence, like lease and transfer of property rights, building bylaws and also service charges payable to the Cantonment Board," Baweja said.According to him, all 62 Cantonment Boards have almost similar issues. Each Cantonment Board has a provision of eight elected and seven nominated members. While the elected members choose the vice-president, the post of president is held by an Army Commander.According to Baweja, around 400 families have been residing in the Cantonment area for decades and been involved in cultivation, raising livestock and similar professions."For 25-30 years, the army has not been collecting the lease money from them. As they are facing eviction, the state government has come to their rescue. Taking the Defence Ministry into confidence, the government has agreed to buy the land for Rs 86 crore," he said.After the transfer of land to the state government, it would be developed and basic amenities would be provided to residents, Baweja said. The Defence Ministry has also opened several roads that were closed for civil.The Ambala Cantonment's functions are similar to the municipal administration. In addition to providing basic amenities, the Cantonment Board also manages public welfare institutions and facilities for the Cantonment area residents. The Cantonment is spread over 8,100.49 acres and as per the 2011 census, houses 55,370, including troops.The British built Cantonments to station troops, house them and their families. TheAmbala Cantonment came into existence in 1843.According to histor, Karnal was initially selected by the British for the development of the Cantonment in 1806. But most soldiers died from malaria and cholera. It forced the British to shift the Cantonment to Ambala.Says K.C. Yadav, former Director of the Haryana Academy of History and Culture, says in 1806 the British had established the Cantonment in Karnal. But given the prevalence of malaria and other such diseases in the area, in 1841 the British started shifting the Cantonment to Ambala and in 1843 the Ambala Cantonment came into existence.The Ambala Cantonment is also known for the St Paul's Church, one of the oldest churches in the region and Holy Redeemer Church built by soldiers in 1905.St Paul's Church was consecrated on January 4, 1857. However, it got damaged during the 1965 Indo-Pak war bombing.Like its 61 other peers in the country, the Ambala Cantonment too has its rich and glorious past.(Vishal Gulati can be reached at vishal.g@.in)( With inputs from IANS )

Home

City

Latest News

Cricket

LT Premium

National

International

Maharashtra

Opinions

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Nagpur

Entertainment

Photos

Business

Technology

Sports

Lifestyle

Social Viral

Lokmat Games

Health

Trump Tarrifs

Tahawwur Rana

IPL 2025

CM Devendra Fadnavis

Mumbai Local

Weather Update

Ambala CantonmentFOLLOW

Ambala cantonment, Latest News

National :Haryana DIG arrives at police station, to be probed after spat with Home Minister's brother

Haryana Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Ashok Kumar arrived at the Sadar Police Station in the Ambala district on Thursday as part of an investigation after he was booked on Tuesday allegedly after a spat with Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij' ...

Politics :BJP declares 78 Haryana candidates, fields Yogeshwar Dutt, Sandeep Singh, Babita Phogat

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar will contest the forthcoming assembly elections from Karnal with the BJP's first list of candidates declared on Monday also having names of three prominent sportspersons - wrestlers Yogeshwar Dutt and Bab ...

National :Ambala Cantonment civil pine for 'Smart Cantonment'

Tens of thousands of civil residing in the Ambala Cantonment Board area are struggling due to the century-old archaic laws that they feel are proving hindrance to building of 'Smart Cantonments' on the line of 'Smart Cities'. ...