Cantonment Boards in India function under the administrative control of the:

Cantonment Boards are local bodies that administer cantonment areas, where military forces are stationed. They function under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence.

Legal basis:

• Cantonment Boards are set up under the Cantonments Act, 2006, which replaced the Cantonments Act, 1924.
• The Directorate General of Defence Estates, under the Ministry of Defence, supervises them.

Number of cantonments:

• There are about 62 cantonments in India.
• The first cantonment was set up at Barrackpore near Kolkata in 1765.
• Cantonments are classified into four categories based on their civil population.

Composition of a Cantonment Board:

• The Station Commander, a military officer, is the ex officio President of the Board.
• It includes elected members from the civil population, nominated military officers and the District Magistrate's representative.
• The Chief Executive Officer, an officer of the Indian Defence Estates Service, is the member-secretary.

Functions:

• Providing civic services, such as water supply, sanitation, street lighting, roads, schools and hospitals.
• Managing land and buildings in the cantonment area.
• Collecting taxes and fees.
• Maintaining public health.

Nature of cantonment areas:

• They are areas under strong military control, but they also have civilian populations.
• They are not covered by state municipal laws.

Reform proposals:

In recent years, the government has decided to carve out civilian areas of some cantonments and merge them with neighbouring municipalities, so that residents can get better services.

Other urban local bodies:

Notified area committees, town area committees, township committees, port trusts and special purpose agencies are other urban bodies.

Constitutional provision:

Article 243Q mentions that municipalities need not be constituted in industrial townships, but cantonments are governed separately by central law.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and state governments do not control Cantonment Boards.