Now, Sir, in the beginning the cantonments were mostly comprised of military barracks and officers’ mess and a few other bungalows considered to be of military. Now what has happened is; let us take an instance. Take Meerut. In Meerut there is a military Cantonment, three-fourths of which is composed of civil population. There is the Sadar Bazar and there are lawyers and others living in that cantonment area. That area is within the area and the jurisdiction of the Cantonment Board. All the laws of the U. P. apply to the inhabitants of the cantonment areas. For instance, in the bazar there is the same sales tax as is elsewhere in U. P. For all purposes of law and order, they are controlled by the very same civil authorities of the Provinces everywhere in India. It was only the local government part of it which was transferred or rather intended to be transferred to the hands of the Cantonment Boards and the rest of the laws of the States equally apply to the citizens of cantonments.
