Migrant families allege demolition of huts in Kotkapura

Chandigarh: Families of migrant laborers living in slums along Bathinda Road in Kotkapura have protested on the streets, alleging that their huts were demolished by a nearby hotel owner. They claimed that their household items had also gone missing.

According to reports, over 60 huts had been built along the wall of Dana Mandi on one side of the Kotkapura-Bathinda road, where migrant laborers had been living for years.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the government to remove these encroachments, following which a joint committee of officials from the Municipal Council, Police, District Administration, and Forest Department was formed. The site was handed over to the Forest Department for afforestation.

The department has already planted saplings at several locations and issued a notice on March 19, directing laborers to vacate the area within a week. While the eviction process is ongoing, five huts in front of a hotel have been demolished, triggering protests from affected families.