Chandigarh, May 2: UT Estate Office have issued a public notice directing all residents of Janata Colony in Sector 25 to vacate the area within one week, with a demolition drive scheduled for May 9.
The colony, one of the city’s largest slum clusters, occupies approximately 10 acres of prime government land valued at around Rs 350 crore.
The official notice warned inhabitants that all unauthorised structures, including jhuggis, would be cleared.
“Every resident of the colony shall vacate the area immediately at his or her own expense within one week,” it stated.
“Any person who fails to vacate… shall be liable to be removed.”
Many residents have already begun shifting their belongings, though some claim they possess legal documents but were still deemed ineligible under the city’s rehabilitation schemes.
“We have the papers, but they are refusing to consider us,” said one resident while packing his household items.
The land has been earmarked for civic infrastructure, including a dispensary, primary school, community centre, and shopping complex, as part of the Administration’s long-term urban development plan.
This action follows a similar drive conducted on April 23, when the UT Estate Office cleared jhuggis from Sanjay Colony in Industrial Area, Phase I, reclaiming six acres of land valued at Rs 250 crore.
Both colonies—Sanjay and Janata—had faced attempted evictions two years ago, but the Punjab and Haryana High Court had imposed a stay. That stay was recently lifted, allowing the administration to proceed.
Over the past few years, the UT Administration has steadily cleared major slum areas across the city. In 2022, officials demolished Colony No. 4 and reclaimed 65 acres worth nearly Rs 2,000 crore, although that land remains unused.
In 2021, slum residents from tin-shed colonies were relocated to Sectors 52 and 56 under a government rehabilitation program.
The city has also freed roughly 200 acres of public land through earlier demolitions at Colony No. 5, Mazdoor Colony, Kuldeep Colony, Pandit Colony, Nehru Colony, Ambedkar Colony, Kajheri Colony, and Madrasi Colony.
With the latest notice, the administration signals its intent to continue large-scale clearance and redevelopment, even as questions linger about the adequacy and transparency of rehabilitation for displaced families.
