AI Generated Summary
- The Union Territory Administration has announced that the last remaining slum settlement, Shahpur Colony in Sector 38 (West), will be cleared in the first week of October.
- With Shahpur Colony’s impending removal, Chandigarh is poised to mark a milestone in India’s urban development history — a slum-free city built to the design ideals of its celebrated architect.
- Officials have confirmed that eviction notices to illegal occupants will be issued in the coming days, with the demolition likely to take place after Dussehra on October 2.
Chandigarh is set to achieve the distinction of becoming the first slum-free city in India by next month. The Union Territory Administration has announced that the last remaining slum settlement, Shahpur Colony in Sector 38 (West), will be cleared in the first week of October.
Officials have confirmed that eviction notices to illegal occupants will be issued in the coming days, with the demolition likely to take place after Dussehra on October 2. Of the nearly 500 shanties that house around 2,000 residents, 44 families qualify for relocation under the city’s rehabilitation scheme and will be allotted flats.
Spread across nearly six acres, Shahpur Colony’s removal will conclude a massive, years-long campaign during which 18 of Chandigarh’s 19 slum colonies have been cleared. The administration has reclaimed over 500 acres of land, valued at more than ₹20,000 crore, which will now be developed in accordance with the Chandigarh Master Plan-2031. The blueprint, originally envisioned by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, will guide the creation of residential, commercial, and institutional projects.
To safeguard reclaimed areas from fresh encroachments, the UT Administration has set up 12 dedicated monitoring teams, each led by two junior engineers from the Estate Office. The city has been divided into segments, with officials tasked to respond swiftly to any illegal occupation of government land.
Recent months have seen a series of large-scale eviction drives. On June 19, Adarsh Colony between Sectors 53 and 54 was cleared, reclaiming 12 acres. On May 6, nearly 2,500 structures in Janta Colony, Sector 25, were removed, freeing 10 acres worth an estimated ₹350 crore. Earlier, on April 23, around 1,000 shanties were demolished in Sanjay Colony, Industrial Area, Phase I.
With Shahpur Colony’s impending removal, Chandigarh is poised to mark a milestone in India’s urban development history — a slum-free city built to the design ideals of its celebrated architect.
