Hyderabad, Jan. 26 -- The long-pending demand to merge the Secunderabad Cantonment Board with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) intensified on Monday, with Congress MLA Sri Ganesh continuing his relay hunger strike and accusing the Centre of delaying both local body elections and the proposed merger for several years.

Addressing supporters at the protest site, Ganesh said the agitation was focused on a single demand--the integration of the Cantonment area into GHMC. He stated that a committee constituted three years ago to study the merger had yet to deliver results and pointed to a Centre gazette notification dated January 17, which extended the nominated-member system for another year.

The MLA noted that elections to ...