logo
Chandigarh admn set to demolish Sanjay Colony on April 23

Chandigarh admn set to demolish Sanjay Colony on April 23

Hindustan Times23-04-2025

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.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Guv Kataria reviews development projects
Guv Kataria reviews development projects

Time of India

timea day ago

  • Time of India

Guv Kataria reviews development projects

1 2 3 Chandigarh: A review meeting of various departments was held under the chairmanship of the governor Gulab Chand Kataria, to assess the progress of ongoing development projects, revenue generation, and expenditure management in the UT. The meeting also included a detailed discussion on infrastructure initiatives aimed at addressing the housing needs of govt employees. During the meeting, the finance secretary apprised that the ministry of finance (MoF) set specific targets for monthly revenue receipts and expenditure. Consequently, all departments were instructed to achieve these targets. Directions were issued to the administrative secretaries concerned to ensure strict adherence to these goals. The administrator also reviewed the present govt housing available for the employees of the Chandigarh administration. He directed the engineering department to ensure the timely and quality completion of the upgradation and renovation work of old govt housing units so that they can be allotted to employees without delay. The governor also reviewed various projects in the education and healthcare sectors. He was informed that the government school in Kajheri was complete, while the school in Karsan was at an advanced stage of completion. Sarangpur project is expected to be ready in the current year itself. The governor instructed that work on schools in Dhanas and Maloya should be started within this year. These institutions, located in the peripheral areas of Chandigarh, must be made functional at the earliest to ensure access to quality education for all. In the healthcare sector, the Mother and Child Care Centre at GMCH-32 and the MBBS hostel block in Sector 48, which are in progress, should also be completed within the timeline fixed. Additionally, the IT block is ready for use, and the girls' hostel in govt college, Sector 46, should also be completed within this year. The governor also emphasised the need to expedite the construction of the hostel block for Kurukshetra students at Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, and directed departments to speed up pending works to enable its use by the students. Recognising the growing demand for housing among UT employees, the administrator reiterated the need for swift construction of new housing units to meet accommodation requirements. In terms of police housing, it was noted that 240 houses for Chandigarh Police personnel were completed and will be handed over within the next three months. Kataria urged all departments to maintain momentum and adhere to project timelines so that essential infrastructure is delivered promptly and benefits reach the people without delay.

‘LG promoted, I got demoted': CM Omar makes another pitch for statehood
‘LG promoted, I got demoted': CM Omar makes another pitch for statehood

Hindustan Times

time2 days ago

  • Hindustan Times

‘LG promoted, I got demoted': CM Omar makes another pitch for statehood

Joking about his 'demotion' from chief minister of a state to that of a Union Territory, Jammu & Kashmir's Omar Abdullah made a pitch again for the restoration of the region's statehood. He was sharing the dias with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the UT's Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in Katra on Friday, soon after the PM launched the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Line Project , and remembered the inauguration of the Katra railway by Modi in 2014. 'I was the chief minister and you had become PM for the first time. At that time, there were four people, who shared the dais, PM Modi, BJP MP Jugal Kishore, Manoj Sinha and me,' he said, adding that Sinha was the Union Minister of State for railways at the time. 'He (Sinha) got promoted as Lieutenant Governor of J&K, but mine is a sort of demotion. Earlier, I was CM of a state, but, now I am CM of a UT. However, I believe that it will not take long to rectify it. Jammu and Kashmir will again get the statehood under your (PM Modi's) watch only,' he said. Both Prime Minister Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah have previously said that Jammu & Kashmir's statehood will be restored, though no timeline has been provided for this. The UT was created by breaking up the erstwhile state into two -- the UT of J&K and the UT of Ladakh in 2019. This was done even as Article 370, which gate the erstwhile state special status, was abrogated. LG Sinha, in his address, said that the PM was 'uniting the hearts of people by ensuring rail connectivity' across the country. 'Train from Kashmir to Kanyakumari is not a slogan anymore. PM has turned it into a reality just moments ago by flagging off Vande Bharat train from Katra to Srinagar,' he said.

Parents vs GMCH: ‘75% quota skips NMC code'
Parents vs GMCH: ‘75% quota skips NMC code'

Time of India

time2 days ago

  • Time of India

Parents vs GMCH: ‘75% quota skips NMC code'

1 2 Chandigarh: Parents of the MBBS graduates from GMCH-32 are accusing the institution of defying National Medical Commission (NMC) norms and adopting a seat matrix "unparalleled" in the country. At the heart of the dispute is GMCH's decision to allocate a staggering 75% of PG seats to the All India Quota (AIQ) and a mere 25% to the institutional pool (IP), while also conducting counselling for these AIQ seats. Recently, a few parents met with the chief secretary, UT, presenting a detailed representation of their grievances. This contentious setup follows the Panjab and Haryana high court, abiding by the SC's order and abolishing the state quota. However, parents contend that GMCH's subsequent actions represent a significant deviation from established guidelines, leading to a scramble for the limited institutional seats and questions about fairness and transparency. It was alleged that soon after the court decided on the invalidity of the state pool, a third counselling round was started, where the fate of 16 institutional and 16 previously designated state quota seats (a total of 32) hangs in the balance. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Forget the socks. This year, gift Dad a pizza oven Ooni Pizza Ovens Learn More Undo Earlier, following the Supreme Court's decision on the state quota, GMCH issued a notification in April, after taking legal opinion, stating that these 32 seats would be absorbed into the institutional pool. "However, subsequent petitions from state quota candidates led to the Punjab and Haryana high court seeking an interpretation of the SC's ruling. GMCH, in response, submitted a 147-page legal opinion and an affidavit asserting that they cannot cross 50% for IP," said a parent. Despite arguments from GMCH defending its position, all prayers were dismissed, and no UT pool was explicitly defined by the court. Parents allege that GMCH subsequently found a 'grey area' in the legal interpretations, enabling it to issue a new, controversial notification that converted the remaining 16 seats of the abolished state quota into AIQ. As per NMC norms, PG admissions typically follow a 50% AIQ and 50% state quota distribution. Parents argue that by adding the abolished state quota seats to the AIQ, GMCH inflated the AIQ percentage to an unprecedented 75%, thereby severely limiting opportunities for local candidates. Additionally, the parents have inquired of the chief secretary whether, if the seats are converted under AIQ, the medical college can conduct counselling for these seats. The first two counselling rounds, they point out, already consumed the mandated 50% AIQ, and the subsequent state counselling was expected to handle the remaining seats. "How can the All India Quota be 75% by adding the remaining state quota seats? This is nowhere on the NMC website, and it appears to be a move to specifically adjust UT quota candidates through the backdoor," said a parent. Attempts to reach both the UT administration and GMCH officials for comment were unsuccessful, as they have remained tight-lipped on the issue despite repeated inquiries from the TOI. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store