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Indian Express
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Demolitions since 2007 result in Chandigarh administration reclaiming 500 acres of land
With the latest demolition of Adarsh Colony in Sector 53 and 54 on Thursday and the action on 18 other illegal colonies, the Chandigarh Administration has reclaimed 500 acres of its land from the drive that began in 2007. According to official records, the demolition drive against the illegal colonies established in Chandigarh began 18 years ago, when on May 6, 2007, a large chunk of slums in Janta Colony, Sector 25, was demolished along with Kumhar Colony, as part of the city's slum-free campaign. The demolition led to the removal of approximately 2,500 shanties and displaced around 5,000 residents. The 10-acre area was reclaimed by the UT Administration from this action. While 2.5 acres of land was cleared at SBS Colony in Mauli Jagran in 2010, 40 acres from the demolition of Rajiv Colony and 55 acres from Colony Number 5 in 2013. In 2014, 89 acres of land was reclaimed with the demolition of Kalyan Colony and 65 acres from Ambedkar Colony. The same year also saw the demolition of Nehru Colony, Pandit Colony, and Kuldeep Colony, with 38 acres of land taken back by the administration. Another 30 acres of land each was cleared from the demolition of Majdoor Colony and Madrasi Colony, while 50 acres from razing Kabari Colony in 2014. With the demolition of Gursagar Colony in Maloya and Lal Bahadur Shastri Colony in Palsora in 2016, 3 and 20 acres of land respectively were reclaimed by the administration. In 2022, 65 acres of land was recovered with demolition of Colony Number 4, and 6 acres of land from Sanjay Colony in Industrial Area in 2025. On June 19, the Administration took back 12 acres of land with the demolition of Adarsh Colony. Following the demolition of Adarsh Colony, only one slum — Shahpur Colony in Sector 38 — will remain, which has about 300 shanties spread across four acres of government land, valued at Rs 150 crore. Around 28,000 rehabilitated since 2006 In 2006, the UT administration launched a rehabilitation initiative under the Chandigarh Small Flats Scheme, earmarking 356 acres for the construction of 25,728 flats intended to house 23,841 families from 18 unauthorised colonies. According to an official, the Chandigarh Administration has rehabilitated around 28,000 people, who had been living in the unauthorised colonies, since 2006 under the Economic Weaker Section (EWS) scheme. Teams formed for keeping vigil on encroachment On the encroachment of the Government lands in Chandigarh, Nishant Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner, Chandigarh said that, 'teams have been made and each of its offices has been assigned 2-3 sectors'. 'They shall report on a weekly basis about any encroachment in their area,' he added. The Chandigarh DC has clarified that the demolition drive is not just about reclaiming land but sending a clear message that illegal encroachments will not be tolerated. 'The reclaimed land will now be utilized in accordance with planned urban development goals to benefit the larger community, ' Yadav added.
Indian Express
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Demolitions since 2007 result in UT admn reclaiming 500 acres of land
With the latest demolition of Adarsh Colony in Sector 53 and 54 on Thursday and the action on 18 other illegal colonies, the Chandigarh Administration has reclaimed 500 acres of its land from the drive that began in 2007. According to official records, the demolition drive against the illegal colonies established in Chandigarh began 18 years ago, when on May 6, 2007, a large chunk of slums in Janta Colony, Sector 25, was demolished along with Kumhar Colony, as part of the city's slum-free campaign. The demolition led to the removal of approximately 2,500 shanties and displaced around 5,000 residents. The 10-acre area was reclaimed by the UT Administration from this action. While 2.5 acres of land was cleared at SBS Colony in Mauli Jagran in 2010, 40 acres from the demolition of Rajiv Colony and 55 acres from Colony Number 5 in 2013. In 2014, 89 acres of land was reclaimed with the demolition of Kalyan Colony and 65 acres from Ambedkar Colony. The same year also saw the demolition of Nehru Colony, Pandit Colony, and Kuldeep Colony, with 38 acres of land taken back by the administration. Another 30 acres of land each was cleared from the demolition of Majdoor Colony and Madrasi Colony, while 50 acres from razing Kabari Colony in 2014. With the demolition of Gursagar Colony in Maloya and Lal Bahadur Shastri Colony in Palsora in 2016, 3 and 20 acres of land respectively were reclaimed by the administration. In 2022, 65 acres of land was recovered with demolition of Colony Number 4, and 6 acres of land from Sanjay Colony in Industrial Area in 2025. On June 19, the Administration took back 12 acres of land with the demolition of Adarsh Colony. Following the demolition of Adarsh Colony, only one slum — Shahpur Colony in Sector 38 — will remain, which has about 300 shanties spread across four acres of government land, valued at Rs 150 crore. In 2006, the UT administration launched a rehabilitation initiative under the Chandigarh Small Flats Scheme, earmarking 356 acres for the construction of 25,728 flats intended to house 23,841 families from 18 unauthorised colonies. According to an official, the Chandigarh Administration has rehabilitated around 28,000 people, who had been living in the unauthorised colonies, since 2006 under the Economic Weaker Section (EWS) scheme. On the encroachment of the Government lands in Chandigarh, Nishant Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner, Chandigarh said that, 'teams have been made and each of its offices has been assigned 2-3 sectors'. 'They shall report on a weekly basis about any encroachment in their area,' he added. The Chandigarh DC has clarified that the demolition drive is not just about reclaiming land but sending a clear message that illegal encroachments will not be tolerated. 'The reclaimed land will now be utilized in accordance with planned urban development goals to benefit the larger community, ' Yadav added.
Indian Express
09-06-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
GMCH's 259-bed Trauma Centre likely to open doors to patients in August
Chandigarh will get another dedicated trauma centre, this time at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32. The long-awaited 259-bed trauma centre is now almost ready, and hospital authorities plan to inaugurate it in August. Dr G P Thami, Medical Superintendent, GMCH, said that construction work is complete and equipment procurement is currently underway. 'We had to postpone our 11th convocation earlier due to tensions between India and Pakistan. The new date for the convocation has been set for August 2. We hope to inaugurate the trauma centre on the same day and have sent the proposal to the UT Administration,' he said. The project was initially proposed in 2019 with a timeline of 18 months. It was expected to be operational by February 2022. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays. The UT Administration had repeatedly emphasised the need for its early completion. Now, with work almost complete, the trauma centre is expected to ease space constraints in the current emergency wing. Officials say that the existing area could be used for other departments once trauma services are shifted to the new building. With this development, Chandigarh will have two dedicated trauma centres — one at PGI and another at GMCH. Currently, GMCH has around 150 beds for both emergency and trauma cases. The addition of the new trauma centre is expected to significantly reduce the burden. GMCH's trauma wing is a critical project. The need for expansion has been urgent, as the existing emergency wing has no room for additional beds. Former director Dr B S Chavan had secured ?52 crore for this project, with the goal of upgrading the emergency capacity to 259 beds. Until now, trauma and emergency patients have been managed in a common space, often resulting in overcrowding, with some patients treated on trolleys. Once the new trauma facility becomes operational, the hospital will have improved capacity and infrastructure to manage high-volume critical cases more efficiently. If all goes as per plan, the hospital administration is also considering expanding the gynaecology department alongside the trauma centre launch. With the trauma wing shifting out of the main building, significant space will be vacant, which could be used to add more gynaecology beds. The department has long faced space shortages, despite handling a large volume of delivery cases from Chandigarh and neighbouring states like Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh. Hospital authorities say the expansion of gynaecology and other departments will help meet the rising demand for healthcare services in the region.
Indian Express
19-05-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
Punjab and Haryana High Court slams Chandigarh Administration over Rs 20 lakh fee for disabled home
The Punjab and Haryana High Court Friday pulled up the Chandigarh Administration over the Rs 20 lakh security deposit condition for admission to a newly-built group home for people with mental disabilities in Sector 31, terming the amount 'exorbitant' and potentially exclusionary for many deserving applicants. The interim order on May 16 by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel was in response to a civil writ petition filed by four parents and guardians of mentally disabled people — Satish Kumar, G K Jaggi, B K Chadha and Barkhu Ram, all residents of the Union Territory — whose wards are prospective applicants for the facility. The bench, after hearing counsel for the parties, observed that the demand for such a high deposit stood in contrast to the principles enshrined under Sections 18 to 21 of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, which stress treatment of persons with mental illness with dignity, reasonableness and without discrimination. It noted that the governing body managing the mental illness home at Sector 31 comprises 13 members, the majority of whom are functionaries of the UT Administration, and thus the society managing the facility qualifies as 'State' under Article 12 of the Constitution. The UT Administration is directed to apply its mind on the aspect of quantum of security amount of Rs 20 lakh, which deprives admission into the mental illness home, even to the deserving mental health patients merely because of paucity of funds, the bench stated, directing the governing body to hold an emergent meeting to reconsider the deposit requirement. The case will next be heard on July 24. The petitioners have also challenged several other terms and conditions for admission to the Sector 31 group home. They have sought a direction to quash the Rs 20 lakh deposit requirement and instead limit the security amount to one year's fee, based on room type, in line with the norms followed by the government-run senior citizens home in Chandigarh. They further asked for a waiver of additional charges such as air-conditioning, electricity, and cross-subsidy fees, pointing to the already high monthly costs. The petition advocates for greater inclusivity by seeking 25 per cent reservation of twin-sharing seats for applicants from the economically weaker section (EWS) category with annual family incomes between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 8 lakh, and a 50 per cent concession in both the deposit and monthly fees for this income group. The petitioners have also urged the court to waive the mandatory requirement of furnishing the second and third guardians in the admission form. The petitioners have also pressed for the immediate operationalisation of the facility, which has remained locked since July 2024 despite being fully constructed and furnished. Additional prayers include the recruitment of professional staff such as counsellors and social workers trained in mental healthcare, simplification of the admission process by conducting assessments within the group home itself to reduce stress on applicants, and public awareness campaigns to ensure that eligible candidates are informed about the facility and its services. Senior advocate R S Bains represented the petitioners with advocate Sarabjeet Singh Cheema. Additional standing counsel Aman Bahri represented the Chandigarh Administration with advocate Shubreet Kaur.
Indian Express
24-04-2025
- Indian Express
Sanjay Colony razed, admn reclaims Rs 250-crore land for development
In a move aimed at making Chandigarh slum-free, the UT Administration Wednesday demolished Sanjay Colony, a slum cluster located in Industrial Area Phase-I. Nearly 1,000 jhuggis were removed, and around 6 acres of prime government land, valued at approximately Rs 250 crore, were reclaimed during the four-hour operation, officials said. Officials said the demolition was carried out by the Estate Office with the help of eight earth-moving machines and heavy police deployment, beginning at 7 am and concluding by 11 am. The site has now been handed over to the Engineering Department for future development. 'Originally surveyed in 2006 under the Chandigarh Small Flat Scheme, 242 eligible dwelling units were identified for rehabilitation. However, in the following years, illegal encroachments multiplied on the land. Despite earlier attempts to clear the settlement in 2022, a stay by the Punjab and Haryana High Court had delayed action. The final go-ahead came in November 2024 after prolonged legal proceedings involving both the High Court and the Supreme Court,' an official said. Meanwhile, the Administration had issued a one-week eviction notice to the colony's residents and conducted a special verification camp to assess their eligibility under the rehabilitation scheme. While the demolition was conducted peacefully, many residents were left distraught. Several claimed they had valid documents but were excluded from the Central Government's Affordable Rental Housing scheme. With nowhere to go, some expressed fear of being forced onto pavements. Adeeb Ahmad, a daily wager, who had lived in the colony for the past two decades, said that he had documents which would verify his legality for being considered under the housing scheme, but received no response from the Administration. He said that he would now have to shift to a rented accommodation in Hallomajra, further reducing his already limited income. Sunita, a resident of Sanjay Colony accused politicians of making empty promises and failing to ensure proper housing for the poor. This is the latest in a series of demolitions carried out by the UT Administration aimed at clearing encroachments on public land. In May 2022, Colony No. 4 was razed to reclaim 65 acres, though that land remains undeveloped. The Administration now plans a similar demolition in Janta Colony, Sector 25 — home to over 10,000 people — next week. That land, spanning 10 acres, is estimated to be worth around Rs 350 crore and has been earmarked for community development projects, including a dispensary, school and shopping area.
