Cantonment residents watch from sidelines as Kannur district votes
KANNUR: While most of Kannur was immersed in the intensity of election day, the cantonment area of Kannur corporation remained on the sidelines, watching the flurry of activities from a distance. For, the residents of cantonment area of the corporation have not participated in a local election since 2015, the year the last Cantonment Board polls were held. As the rest of the district engaged in the democratic exercise, people in the regions could only observe the excitement around them. The cantonment area, though geographically situated within the limits of the corporation, operates under a completely separate administrative system managed by the Cantonment Board. It is the only such cantonment in Kerala under the control of the Union Ministry of Defence. Residents of the area enjoy voting rights in parliamentary and assembly elections, but they cannot participate in local body elections. Instead, they elect representatives to the Cantonment Board in a special election held every five years. The last election to the cantonment was held in 2015. The board, whose term ended in 2020, was given one more year extension. Although the term ended in 2021, there has been no elected governing body since then. The Centre had issued a notification to hold elections to the cantonments in 2023 but put it on hold indefinitely later. Ratheesh Antony, former councillor of Ward 1 in the Cantonment Board, said they are eager to participate in the elections so that residents can once again bring their concerns before the authorities. He explained that previously, councillors from each ward were able to present issues through monthly meeting agendas, ensuring they reached the officials and were acted upon. Our demand is either to merge the cantonment area with the Kannur Corporation or to resume elections the way they were held earlier, he added. The Cantonment Board consists of six elected civilian representatives and six members from the military. The Military Commandant serves as the boards president, while the vice-president is chosen from among the elected civilian members. What census says The Kannur Cantonment has a population of 4,798, of which 1,867 are civilian residents and the rest are military personnel, according to the 2011 Census
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