‘Merger of Ramgarh cantonment board with civic body in final stages’

Ramgarh: Merger of Ramgarh Cantonment Board, a civic body under the administrative control of the Union ministry of defence, with the state-controlled Ramgarh Municipal Council is in its final stages. Deputy commissioner (DC) Chandan Kumar has submitted the merger proposal to the state urban development department.
Ramgarh Cantonment Board, established by the British India govt in 1942, is one of the 62 cantonment boards across the country in garrison towns.The Union govt has initiated the process of merging all 62 cantonment boards with their respective local civic bodies under the respective state govts. The cantonment board in Himachal Pradesh has been merged with the state municipality and the rest, including the only one in Jharkhand located at Ramgarh, is under way.
DC Kumar said, “After several rounds of meetings with officials of the Ramgarh Cantonment Board, the district administration has sent a detail report on merger plan to the state urban development dept for its consideration.”
Ramgarh garrison town is home to two Indian Army regiments: the Punjab Regimental Centre (PRC) and the Sikh Regimental Centre (SRC). The commandant of the Ramgarh Military station serves as the chairman of the Ramgarh Cantonment Board, while an elected member holds the post of vice-chairman.
Former vice-chairman of Ramgarh Cantonment Board, Anmol Singh, said the garrison town under the Cantonment Board is divided into eight wards, with a population of nearly 1.30 lakh. Out of the Rs 24 cr annual budget of the board, Rs 10 crore is received from the Ministry of Defence as a grant, and a similar amount is provided by the state urban development department. The board’s annual tax collection is around Rs 2 crore.
Outside the Ramgarh garrison town, Ramgarh Municipal Council falls under the administrative control of the state govt. RMC is divided into 43 wards and has a population of nearly 1.32 lakh, according to an official.