Free road access, a worry for Army officers’ families

With protests continuing against the Defence Ministry decision to open cantonment roads for public use, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday met a group of Army officers’ wives who had launched a signature campaign against the decision.

“As promised, in response to Neela Gokhale’s (wife of Army officer Lt.Col. Kedar Gokhale) request, Ms. Sitharaman interacted with a delegation from the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) on the subject of cantonment roads,” Ms. Sitharaman put out a tweet.

The delegation of four raised safety concerns in the wake of the decision and Ms. Sitharaman conveyed her views, an official said.

Earlier this month, the Ministry, after consultations with the Army and members of cantonment boards, decided to open all roads in cantonments to the public. The decision is to be reviewed after a month. Citing safety concerns, the families of military personnel then launched a strong protest and a signature campaign demanding a rollback of the decision.

Responding to reports of the signature campaign, Ms. Sitharaman had then tweeted that she would hear their concerns with an open mind.