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Indian Express
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Over 5,000 homeless as Chandigarh administration razes 2,500 shanties in Janta Colony
As the Chandigarh administration conducted the demolition of nearly 2,500 shanties at Janta Colony on Tuesday, around 5,000 dwellers turned homeless. The demolition drive was conducted at 10 acres of prime government land, which was illegally occupied by the dwellers, in Sector 25. This land, as per Estate officials, is valued at around Rs 350 crore. Two weeks ago, the administration also demolished 1,000 makeshift structures in Sanjay Colony, Industrial Area Phase 1, which saw encroachment of nearly six acres of prime land. The drive on Tuesday began at 5 am in the presence of nearly 1,500 police personnel and 1,500 officials from the municipal corporation and UT Estate Office. With the latest demolition, only two small slums — Shahpur in Sector 38 and another one in Sector 54 — remain, which the Chandigarh Administration also plans to take down soon. The UT administration has been working on making the city slum-free since the early 2000s. In 2006, it came up with a plan to replace slums with alternative housing. In 2013, it razed colony numbers 5 and 4 in 2022. These slums had occupied over 165 acres of government land. Apart from this, it had razed Mazdoor Colony, Kuldeep Colony, Pandit Colony, Nehru Colony, Ambedkar Colony, Kajheri Colony and Madrasi Colony over the years. 'Leaders had promised us rehabilitation' Sunita Chautala, a dweller at Sector 25, Janta Colony has been living here with her family for the last 20 years in the area. She mentioned how politicians made false promises of rehabilitation in exchange for votes. 'The local leaders used to come to us asking us to cast our vote for a party, and in return, we were promised that we would be allotted a dwelling unit in the city area as a part of the rehabilitation,' Chautala said. 'No one turned up today for our help while our houses were demolished. We are forced to move from here and live in a rented house.' Another resident Monu Devi, whose house was also demolished, said she had arrived in the area 25 years ago after she got married. She was living here with her in-laws. 'Last night (Monday), we had shifted to a rented property in Dhanas, which has a rent of Rs 5,000 per month. My husband is ill and I work as a maid in the city, earning Rs 10,000 per month. How does the administration think we will be able to survive on rent? Neither the administration nor any local political party came to help us,' Devi said. Sumit Kumar, who had been living in Janta Colony with his 11 family members, said, 'After our house has been demolished, we aren't able to find a house on rent. Since our family is big, the landlord says he cannot allow us to stay for a rent of Rs 7,000.' Sandeep Kumar, who works as a waiter in a hotel at Mohali, said, 'The government should have thought about allocating another space to us, before conducting the demolition.' Chandigarh Congress condemns demolition Chandigarh Congress has condemned the demolition, terming it a 'heartless act against the poor'. Party spokesperson Rajiv Sharma criticised the ' BJP -led administration' for 'neglecting' the welfare of economically weaker and middle-class residents via a lack of housing schemes in the last 11 years and 'continuous harassment' via penalties and taxes. Part president H S Lucky called the move 'utterly inhumane,' highlighting the plight of children, women, and the elderly left homeless. He demanded immediate rehabilitation for the affected families and urged the administration to act with compassion, rather than following what he termed as 'dictatorial and anti-people orders' of the BJP.
Hindustan Times
24-04-2025
- Hindustan Times
Chandigarh admn reclaims ₹250-crore land by razing Sanjay Colony
The Chandigarh administration resolutely reclaimed its prime land worth ₹250 crore after demolishing Sanjay Colony, an illegal slum cluster in Industrial Area, Phase 1, on Wednesday. Driven by its 'Slum-Free City' campaign, the administration, backed by heavy police presence, launched the demolition early in the morning at 7. Within hours, bulldozers flattened thousands of shanties/jhuggies, leaving behind heaps of rubble—and stories of displacement. Most of the colony's occupants had begun removing their belongings before the bulldozers arrived. The prized government land had been illegally occupied by around 5,000 dwellers, living in 1,500-1,800 shanties/jhuggis, as per officials from the UT Estate Office. Armed with eight earthmovers, it took the Estate Office nearly five hours to bring down the slum cluster. Deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav said, 'The colony was built on government land without authorisation. Despite multiple notices, the encroachments continued to expand. The drive was carried out following due legal process. The residents' documents were scrutinised, but none of them was found eligible for rehabilitation. Hence, as per plan, demolitions were undertaken and we were able to reclaim the land. The procedure went smoothly. We have started the procedure to fence the land and the rubble will be cleared soon.' Sanjay Colony cropped up in Industrial Area in 2004. The area was surveyed in 2006 for rehabilitation under the Chandigarh Small Flat Scheme. At the time, 242 dwelling units were found which were taken up for rehabilitation upon fulfilment of other conditions of the scheme. However, over the years, many other illegal occupants encroached upon the government land. 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. Last week, after the stay was vacated, the administration gave a week's notice to residents of the colony to vacate the land. 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. Homeless, hopeless: Displaced slum-dwellers brace for life ahead As the bulldozers rolled, the colony dwellers scrambled to collect whatever belongings they could, from furniture to other valuables. Women wept over lost kitchens and elderly residents sat dazed, watching their homes reduced to rubble. Residents said they were given little warning. While notices had been issued in the past, many hoped for a resolution or rehabilitation plan. Instead, they now face an uncertain future, with no immediate shelter. Reena Devi, 36, who lived in Sanjay Colony since 2004, after relocating from Colony Number 4, said, 'We have nowhere to go. I, along with my four children, had gone to my native village in Lucknow, when my neighbours told me that our houses will be demolished. We headed back and when I reached on Wednesday, the drive had already started. All of our valuables are gone and we are now sitting with empty hands and nowhere to go. I work as a cook in a nearby house and my husband is a labourer. With limited income, we can't rent expensive houses in Chandigarh.' A rickshaw puller, Salman, had also been living in Sanjay Colony since 2005, with his family—mother, wife and four kids. 'All documents, including biometrics, were in my mother's name, who died last year. Despite showing all documents to the administration, we were denied housing under the Union government scheme. I have now rented a room in Hallomajra at ₹3,700 per month, but the owners have already asked us to look for other accommodation.' Usha Tewari, another resident of the colony, said, 'I have been living here since 2004, with all documents such as voter identity card, biometrics and others, but was not considered for rehabilitation under the housing scheme. I am working in a nearby shopping mall and with a mere ₹15,000 salary, I cannot afford to rent a house and spend on daily transportation. Administration must provide houses to those residents who have the document proofs.' Janta Colony next on UT's target After Sanjay Colony, the UT administration will now focus on clearing out Janta Colony in 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.
Hindustan Times
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
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.
