1,400 shanties razed in LBS Colony

Tribune News service 

Chandigarh, April 29 

As many as 1,400 shanties were razed by the Estate Office in a major demolition drive carried out at the LBS Colony in Palsora on Friday. 

Deputy Commissioner Ajit Balaji Joshi, Amit Talwar, Additional Deputy Commissioner and Prince Dhawan, SDM, supervised the drive in the presence of the more than 100 police personnel. 

As many as four earthmoving machines, tractors and a large number of employees were pressed into service. The drive was conducted for more than five hours. Joshi said the Administration reclaimed more than 10 acre from the occupiers. He said the Administration had been working on a plan to make the city slum free by next year. 

He said a similar drive would be conducted next month in another area. The process of slum rehabilitation of 23,841 families scattered over 18 colonies in the city was started under the ‘Chandigarh Small Flats Scheme - 2006’ and accordingly construction of 25,728 small flats were started by the UT Administration.

Tandon meets DC, Cong condemns move

The city president of the Bharatiya Janata Party,  Sanjay Tandon and general secretary Prem Kaushik met the Deputy Commissioner, Chandigarh, in this regard. Tandon said before the demolition of any slum colony, a survey of the same should be done and all residents of the colony should be given flats under the rehabilitation policy. 

Pardeep Chhabra, president, Chandigarh Congress, has condemned the demolition drive and held the Bharatiya Janata Party government responsible for it.   

Several families rendered homeless 

Many families became homeless after the demolition drive as they did not have any place to live in. Sitting with their small children in the open under the scorching sun, the residents accused the Administration for not providing them flats under the rehabilitation scheme. Ram Nivas, a resident, said he was living in the colony for the past 20 years but had failed to get a house. Some women who are daily-wage earners cried after their jhuggis were demolished. Students were seen picking up their books from the household items lying on the road.