Chandigarh admn set to demolish Sanjay Colony on April 23
After nearly three years of legal battle and multiple court interventions, the UT administration will finally bulldoze the illegal Sanjay Colony in Industrial Area, Phase I, on Wednesday morning as part of its Slum-Free City drive.
A last-minute review petition filed by residents in the Punjab and Haryana high court was dismissed on Tuesday, clearing the final legal hurdle for demolition.
The prime government land, spread across nearly six acres, has been illegally occupied by around 5,000 dwellers, living in 1,500-1,800 shanties/jhuggis, as per officials from the UT Estate Office.
Despite the scale of displacement, officials said no dweller qualifies for rehabilitation under the central government's Affordable Rental Housing Scheme.
According to estate officials, a last-chance documentation camp was held last week, where only around 20 residents submitted their documents. However, all were declared ineligible after scrutiny.
Thereafter, through a notice, residents of the colony were informed that it was government land and all structures or jhuggis erected on it were illegal.
Deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav said, 'The residents' documents were scrutinised, but none of them was found eligible for rehabilitation. Hence, as per plan, we will start the demolition drive at 6 am on Wednesday.'
Faced with the imminent homelessness, some residents resorted to protests at the colony on Tuesday, while others were seen hurriedly shifting their belongings in a bid to save what they could before the bulldozers rolled in.
Most of the colony inhabitants are labourers, hawkers, industrial workers, daily wagers, sweepers, domestic workers, porters, etc, having settled here over the past 15-25 years.
The plan to demolish the colony initially started in mid-2022, but after pleas from the residents of Janta Colony, Sector 25-D, and Sanjay Colony, the high court stayed demolition proceedings.
The exercise in 2022 was being carried out under a drive of making the city completely slum-free, initiated after the successful demolition of Colony Number 4 at Industrial Area, Phase 1, wherein 2,500 shanties were removed and more than 65-acre land worth ₹2,000 crore was recovered in May 2022.
Janta Colony next
After carrying out the demolition drive at Sanjay Colony, the UT administration will now focus on removing slum dwellers from Janta Colony, Sector 25, which is spread over 10 acres of government land with around 2,500 shanties.
After Colony Number 4, it is considered the biggest slum area in the city, estimated to be home to more than 10,000 people. The colony stands on government land worth around ₹350 crore, which has been earmarked for a dispensary, a primary school, a community centre and a shopping area.
Over the last 20 years, the administration has also demolished Colony Number 5 (in 2013), Mazdoor Colony, Kuldeep Colony, Pandit Colony, Nehru Colony, Ambedkar Colony, Kajheri Colony and Madrasi Colony. But several small and big pockets of slums still remain in the Industrial Area, Manimajra and Sector 25.
Thousands of the displaced slum dwellers have been rehabilitated under the Chandigarh Small Flats Scheme 2006. The over 40,000 allotted flats, built by the Chandigarh Housing Board, are spread across Maloya, Ram Darbar, Mauli Jagran and Dhanas.
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