CHANDIGARH: The Enforcement Wing of the UT Estate Office launched a demolition drive at Shahpur Colony in Sector 38 (West) on Tuesday morning, clearing the city’s last slum settlement. Officials said the operation began around 7 am and was still underway, with most huts already removed.
Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav had reviewed preparations on Monday. Nearly 500 makeshift structures built illegally on government land are being razed, affecting around 2,000 residents. To maintain law and order, about 500 police personnel were deployed, while eight teams equipped with JCBs and porcelain machines carried out the demolition. Medical teams, including doctors, paramedics and ambulances, were stationed on-site.
Officials said around 70 families were found eligible for rehabilitation and have been allotted small flats under the scheme. Most occupants had vacated and removed their belongings ahead of the drive. Once the encroachment is cleared, the administration will fence off the land to prevent future illegal occupation.
Spread over six acres, Shahpur Colony was the 19th and last slum colony in Chandigarh. With this demolition, the UT administration has completed the clearance of all slums in the city, reclaiming more than 500 acres of government land worth over Rs 20,000 crore.
Earlier, on June 19, the administration had cleared 12 acres by demolishing slums in Adarsh Colony between Sector 53 and 54. On May 6, nearly 2,500 structures were removed in Janta Colony, Sector 25, reclaiming 10 acres of government land valued at Rs 350 crore.
