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Chandigarh’s last slum, Shahpur Colony, to be flattened today
Eight dedicated teams, equipped with bulldozers, will be carrying out the demolition. Nearly 500 police personnel will be deployed at the site to ensure smooth operations. Besides, medical teams, comprising doctors, paramedical staff, and ambulances, will be on stand-by to respond in case of any medical emergency.
At sharp 7am today (Tuesday), the UT administration will start demolishing Chandigarh’s last remaining slum – the Shahpur Colony in Sector 38 (West), paving way for the city to become the country’s first slum-free city.
Eight dedicated teams, equipped with bulldozers, will be carrying out the demolition. Nearly 500 police personnel will be deployed at the site to ensure smooth operations. Besides, medical teams, comprising doctors, paramedical staff, and ambulances, will be on stand-by to respond in case of any medical emergency.
Spread across four acres of government land, valued at ₹250 crore, the Shahpur Colony has around 300 shanties with nearly 1,000 residents. Public notices have already been pasted outside the colony, asking residents to vacate.
The engineering department has been instructed to ensure the disconnection of electricity and water connections a day before the demolition activity to facilitate smooth operations and avoid any hazards. Once the hutments are razed, officials will fence the acquired land to prevent any future encroachment.
On Monday, Chandigarh deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav held a review meeting to finalise the arrangements for the demolition drive.
City’s slum-free mission started in early 2000s
The administration has been working to make Chandigarh a slum-free since the early 2000s. In 2006, it launched an ambitious rehabilitation initiative under the Chandigarh Small Flats Scheme, earmarking 356 acres — nearly 20% of the city’s 2,811 acres of net vacant land — for the construction of 25,728 flats intended to house 23,841 families from 18 unauthorised colonies. The identified families, comprising over one lakh residents, were required to pay a nominal monthly rent after relocation. However, delays and non-payment have resulted in significant outstanding dues.
Land worth over ₹21,000 cr recovered
The UT administration has demolished 18 of the 19 slum colonies in the city so far and reclaimed more than 520 acres of land worth over ₹21,000 crore. This year alone, it has recovered land worth ₹1,530 crore. This included the demolition of Adarsh Colony, an illegal settlement spread over 12 acres of government land in Sectors 53 and 54, on June 19. It was the second last remaining slum in the city. UT had reclaimed 28 acres as it razed Janta Colony in Sector 25 on May 6, reclaiming around 10 acres worth ₹350 crore. On April 24, over 1,000 makeshift structures were razed in Sanjay Colony, Industrial Area, Phase 1. The colony had been encroaching on nearly six acres of prime government land worth ₹300 crore.
