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Cantonment

{{short description|Military residential quarters, temporary or permanent}}

{{About|a military term|the places named 'Cantonment'|Cantonment (disambiguation)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}

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A cantonment ({{IPAc-en|k|æ|n|ˈ|t|ɒ|n|m|ən|t}}, {{IPAc-en|k|æ|n|ˈ|t|oʊ|n|m|ən|t}}, or {{IPAc-en|UK|k|æ|n|ˈ|t|uː|n|m|ən|t}}) is a type of military base.{{Dictionary.com|cantonment}} In South Asia, a cantonment refers to a permanent military station (a term from the British Raj). In United States military parlance, a cantonment is, essentially, "a permanent residential section (i.e., barrack) of a fort or other military installation".

The word cantonment, derived from the French word canton, meaning corner or district,{{Dictionary.com|canton}} refers to a temporary military or winter encampment. For example, at the start of the Waterloo campaign in 1815, while the Duke of Wellington's headquarters were in Brussels, most of his Anglo–allied army of 93,000 soldiers were cantoned, or stationed, to the south of Brussels.Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition Waterloo Campaign

List of permanent cantonments

=Afghanistan=

The former Sherpur Cantonment in Kabul, Afghanistan, which was the site of the Siege of the Sherpur Cantonment (1879) in the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878–1880), is now maintained as a British Army cemetery.

=Bangladesh=

In Bangladesh, cantonments are residential quarters for many military personnel as well as headquarters for different army units. A wide variety of military training is provided in Bangladesh cantonments:

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=India=

Several cities in the Indian subcontinent, including Ahmedabad, Ambala, Bellary, Belgaum, Bangalore, Danapur, Jabalpur, Kanpur, Bathinda, Delhi, Nilgiris, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Meerut, Ramgarh, Secunderabad, and Trichy, contained large cantonments of the former British Indian Army, with Meerut and Ramgarh being two of the most important cantonments in Northern India, second only to the headquarters at Rawalpindi (now in Pakistan). Meerut was established in 1803, and for 150 years was the largest cantonment in the region. Although cantonments in India were considered to be semi-permanent in the 18th and 19th centuries, by the turn of the 20th century, they had transitioned to being permanent garrisons. They were further entrenched as such, via the military reforms of

Lord Kitchener in 1903, and the Cantonments Act of 1924.{{cite web |url=http://www.geocities.com/momers_termpapers/ss153LahoreCantonment.htm |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5ko5trVno?url=http://www.geocities.com/momers_termpapers/ss153LahoreCantonment.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2009-10-26 |title=Lahore Cantonment |last1= Sheikh |first1=Omer |last2=Ali |first2=Amna |date=26 October 2009 |website=geocities.com |access-date=29 November 2023}}{{cite web |url=https://www.indiacode.nic.in/repealed-act/repealed_act_documents/A1924-2.pdf |title=THE CANTONMENTS ACT, 1924 |website=indiacode.nic.in |publisher=India Code |access-date=29 November 2023}}

At India's Independence in 1947, India had 56 cantonments. After this India added 6 cantonments the last being Ajmer Cantonment in 1962, taking the total number to 62. They covered an area of {{Convert|161000|acre|km2}}.{{Cite web |last=Ray |first=Kalyan |title=Ten army cantonments to be handed over to civil authorities |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/india/ten-army-cantonments-to-be-handed-over-to-civil-authorities-3172901 |access-date=2 September 2024 |website=Deccan Herald |language=en}}

As of 2019, there were sixty-one "notified cantonments" in India, occupying an area of {{Convert|157000|acre|km2}}:{{cite web |url=https://www.mod.gov.in/sites/default/files/MoDAR2018.pdf |title= Annual Report 2018-19: Ministry of Defence |website=mod.gov.in |publisher=Ministry of Defence |access-date= 4 May 2022 |quote= The Ministry of Defence owns approximately 17.57 lakh acres of land throughout the country managed by the three Services and other Organizations like DGDE, Ordnance Factory Board, DRDO, DGQA, CGDA etc. The Army has the maximum of the land i.e. 14.147 lakh acres followed by Air Force 1.40 lakh acres and Navy 0.44 lakh acres. The defence land inside the notified Cantonments is approximately 1.57 lakh acres and the remaining around 16.00 lakh lies outside the Cantonments |page= 131 }} twenty-five in Central Command, nineteen in Southern Command, thirteen in Western Command, four in Eastern Command, and one in Northern Command.{{cite web|title=Directorate General Defence Estates Main menu|url=http://www.dgde.gov.in/?q=cantonments|publisher=Directorate General Defence Estates|access-date=30 December 2013}}

On 24 July 2024, a press release notified that, in order to move on from older Colonial-era concepts, Ministry of Defence has decided to give up responsibility to consider to excise civil areas of certain Cantonments and merge them with neighbouring State municipalities. As of then, there were 58 Cantonments of which 10 were to be handed over in the first phase. The administration of civil areas was to be handed over from Cantonment Boards to the neighbouring Municipalities while the military region was to remain with the Armed Forces.{{Cite web |date=24 July 2024 |title=MOVING AWAY FROM THE BRITISH-ERA CONCEPT OF CANTONMENT TOWNS |url=https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1942023 |access-date=2 September 2024 |website=Press Information Bureau}}{{Cite web |date=7 March 2024 |title=Defence Ministry denotifies civil areas of 10 cantonments |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/defence-ministry-denotifies-civil-areas-of-10-cantonments-9199995/ |access-date=2 September 2024 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Military Cantonments To Lose Control On Civil Areas. What This Means |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/military-cantonments-to-lose-control-on-civil-areas-what-this-means-6002301 |access-date=2 September 2024 |website=NDTV.com}} However, on 27 April 2024, KhasYol had become the first cantonment board to be "de-notified".{{Cite news |date=29 April 2023 |title=Khasyol in Dharamshala 1st Cantonment in country to lose civilian area control |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/shimla/khasyol-1st-cantonment-in-country-to-lose-civilian-area-control/articleshow/99859284.cms |access-date=2 September 2024 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}

On 2 September 2024, it was reported that paperwork are being completed to handover civilian areas of Cantonments from the Indian Army. The Cantonments include Dehradun, Deolali, Nasirabad, Babina, Ajmer, Ramgarh, Mathura, Shahjahanpur, Clement Town and Fatehgarh. The report sain, "Indian Army's Central Command, South Western Command and Southern Command are in the process of completing the hand over exercise in coordination with Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh governments."

Major cantonments and garrisons include the following:{{cite web |title=Cantonment Boards |url=https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=90277 |access-date=4 May 2022 |website=pib.gov.in |publisher=Press Information Bureau}}

==Notified cantonments==

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  1. Central Command
  2. Agra Cantonment, Uttar Pradesh
  3. Almora Cantonment, Uttarakhand
  4. Ayodhya Cantonment, Uttar Pradesh
  5. Bareilly Cantonment, Uttar Pradesh
  6. Chakrata Cantonment, Uttarakhand
  7. Clement Town Cantonment, Uttarakhand (To be denotified)
  8. Danapur Cantonment, Bihar
  9. Dehradun Cantonment, Uttarakhand (To be denotified)
  10. Fatehgarh Cantonment, Uttar Pradesh (To be denotified)
  11. Gopalpur Cantonment, Odisha
  12. Jabalpur Cantonment, Madhya Pradesh
  13. Kanpur Cantonment, Uttar Pradesh
  14. Landour Cantonment, Uttarakhand
  15. Lansdowne Cantonment, Uttarakhand
  16. Lucknow Cantonment, Uttar Pradesh
  17. Mathura Cantonment, Uttar Pradesh (To be denotified)
  18. Meerut Cantonment, Uttar Pradesh
  19. Mhow Cantonment, Madhya Pradesh
  20. Nainital Cantonment, Uttarakhand
  21. Pachmarhi Cantonment, Madhya Pradesh
  22. Prayagraj Cantonment, Uttar Pradesh
  23. Ramgarh Cantonment, Jharkhand (To be denotified)
  24. Ranikhet Cantonment, Uttarakhand
  25. Roorkee Cantonment, Uttarakhand
  26. Shahajahanpur Cantonment, Uttar Pradesh (To be denotified)
  27. Varanasi Cantonment, Uttar Pradesh
  28. Southern Command
  29. Ahmedabad Cantonment, Gujarat
  30. Ahmednagar Cantonment, Maharashtra
  31. Ajmer Cantonment, Rajasthan (To be denotified)
  32. Aurangabad Cantonment, Maharashtra
  33. Babina Cantonment, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh (To be denotified)
  34. Belgaum Cantonment, Karnataka
  35. Bellary Cantonment, Karnataka (Inactive, De-notified){{Cite web|last=Malagi|first=Shivakumar G.|date=16 August 2017|title=Ballari's jail walls have many a story to tell|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/160817/ballaris-jail-walls-have-many-a-story-to-tell.html|access-date=15 August 2020|website=Deccan Chronicle|language=en}}
  36. Dehu Road Cantonment, Maharashtra
  37. Deolali Cantonment, Maharashtra (To be denotified)
  38. Jhansi Cantonment, Uttar Pradesh
  39. Kamptee Cantonment, Maharashtra
  40. Kannur Cantonment, Kerala
  41. Kirkee Cantonment, Maharashtra
  42. Morar Cantonment, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh
  43. Nasirabad Cantonment, Rajasthan (To be denotified)
  44. Pune Cantonment, Maharashtra
  45. Sagar Cantonment, Madhya Pradesh
  46. Secunderabad Cantonment, Telangana
  47. St. Thomas Mount Cantonment, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
  48. Wellington Cantonment, Tamil Nadu
  49. Western Command
  50. Ambala Cantonment, Haryana
  51. Amritsar Cantonment, Punjab
  52. Bakloh Cantonment, Chamba District, Himachal Pradesh
  53. Dagshai Cantonment, Himachal Pradesh
  54. Dalhousie Cantonment, Himachal Pradesh
  55. Delhi Cantonment, Delhi
  56. Ferozepur Cantonment, Punjab
  57. Jalandhar Cantonment, Punjab
  58. Jammu Cantonment, Jammu and Kashmir
  59. Jutogh Cantonment, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
  60. Kasauli Cantonment, Himachal Pradesh
  61. Subathu Cantonment, Shimla Hills, Himachal Pradesh
  62. KhasYol Cantonment, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh (de-notified on 2023)
  63. Eastern Command
  64. Barrackpore, West Bengal
  65. Dum Dum Cantonment, West Bengal (Inactive, De-notified)
  66. Jalapahar, Darjeeling, West Bengal
  67. Lebong, Darjeeling, West Bengal
  68. Shillong Cantonment, Meghalaya
  69. Northern Command
  70. Badamibagh Cantonment, Jammu and Kashmir{{Div col end}}

==Unlisted military cantonments==

{{Unreferenced section|date=May 2014}}

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  1. Abohar Cantonment (Abohar, Punjab)
  2. Akhnoor Cantonment (Akhnoor, Jammu and Kashmir)
  3. Baddowal Cantonment (Ludhiana, Punjab)
  4. Bangalore Cantonment (Bangalore, Karnataka)
  5. Bikaner Cantonment (Bikaner, Rajasthan)
  1. Bharatpur Cantonment (Rajasthan)
  2. Bhatinda Cantonment (Bhatinda, Punjab)
  3. Binnaguri Cantonment (West Bengal)
  4. Bhuj Cantonment (Bhuj, Gujarat)
  5. Bhopal Cantonment (Madhya Pradesh)
  6. Bhubaneswar cantonment (Bhubaneswar, Odisha)
  7. Beas Military Station (Punjab)
  8. Chandimandir Cantonment (Chandigarh)
  9. Dipatoli Cantonment (Ranchi, Jharkhand)
  10. Faridkot Cantonment (Faridkot, Punjab)
  11. Fazilka Cantonment (Fazilka, Punjab)
  12. Gandhinagar Cantonment (Gandhinagar, Gujarat)
  13. Gopalpur Cantonment (Brahmapur, Orissa)
  14. Hisar Cantonment (Hisar, Haryana)
  15. Itarana Cantonment (Alwar, Rajasthan)
  16. Jaipur Cantonment (Jaipur, Rajasthan)
  17. Jaisalmer Cantonment (Jaisalmer, Rajasthan)
  18. Jodhpur Cantonment (Rajasthan)
  19. Joshimath Cantonment (Joshimath, Uttarakhand)
  20. Kapurthala Cantonment (Kapurthala, Punjab)
  21. Khasa Cantonment (Amritsar, Punjab)
  22. Kollam Cantonment (Kollam, India)
  23. Ludhiana Cantonment (Punjab)
  24. Mamun Cantonment (Pathankot, Punjab)
  25. Missamari Cantonment (Missamari, Assam)
  26. Nagrota Cantonment (Nagrota, Jammu & Kashmir)
  27. Narengi Cantonment (Guwahati, Assam)
  28. Pathankot Cantonment (Pathankot, Punjab)
  29. Patiala Cantonment (Punjab)
  30. Pithoragarh Cantonment (Pithoragarh , Uttarakhand)
  31. Shahjahanpur Cantonment (Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh)
  32. Solmara Cantonment (Tezpur, Assam)
  33. Sri Ganganagar Cantonment (Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan)
  34. Suratgarh Cantonment (Suratgarh, Rajasthan)
  35. Thiruvananthapuram Cantonment (Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala)
  36. Tibri Cantonment (Gurdaspur, Punjab)
  37. Udhampur Cantonment (Udhampur, Jammu & Kashmir)
  38. Udaipur Cantonment (Rajasthan)
  39. Vadodra Cantonment (Vadodra, Gujarat)
  40. Varanasi Cantonment, Uttar Pradesh, Central Command
  41. Siliguri Cantonment(West Bengal)
  42. Shillong Cantonment(Meghalaya)

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=Ghana=

=Nigeria=

Cantonments in Nigeria refer to permanent military installations which house active personnel and their families. Cantonments in Nigeria include:

  • Airforce Cantonment, Ikeja, Lagos
  • Armed forces resettlement centre, Oshodi, Lagos
  • Army Ordnance Cantonment, (also known as Abalti Barracks), Yaba, Lagos
  • Arn Cantonment, Yaba, Lagos
  • Badagry Cantonment, Badagry, Lagos
  • Dodan Cantonment, Ikoyi, Lagos
  • Ikeja Cantonment, Ikeja, Lagos
  • Marda Cantonment, Yaba, Lagos
  • Navy Town, Ojo, Lagos
  • Ojo Cantonment (also known as Palm Barracks), Ojo, Lagos,
  • Bonny Camp, Victoria Island
  • Jaji military cantonment, kaduna,
  • Dalet cantonment, kaduna,
  • Mogadishu cantonment,
  • Abiyssinia cantonment,
  • .Burma cantonment,
  • Adshanti cantonment,
  • Nigerian Defence Academy, Afaka, Kaduna

=Pakistan=

{{main|Cantonment (Pakistan)}}

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=Singapore=

In Singapore, the term is used to denote a police cantonment.{{Cite web |url=http://www.spf.gov.sg/contactus/contactus_index.htm |title=Singapore Police Force |access-date=4 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120704064816/http://www.spf.gov.sg/contactus/contactus_index.htm |archive-date=4 July 2012 |url-status=dead }}

=South Africa=

=Sri Lanka=

=United States=

The United States military commonly uses the term "cantonment" to describe the permanent facilities at U.S. Army training bases as opposed to the field training areas. Cantonment areas often include housing (such as barracks and maid-service quarters), dining facilities, training classrooms, exchanges, and paved air fields.{{cite web|url=https://militaryaffairs.illinois.gov/|title=Marseilles Training Center|website=www.il.ngb.army.mil|access-date=7 April 2018}}

See also

References

{{reflist}}

External links

{{EB1911 poster|Cantonment}}

  • [http://www.dgde.gov.in/cantonments Cantonment Boards in India]

Category:Indian English idioms

Category:Military installations of India

Category:Barracks

Category:Military installations of Pakistan

Category:Military installations of Bangladesh