The Indian Express            26.11.2013 

One gone, 11 more to go; Colony No. 4 could be next in line

After the demolition of Colony No. 5, there are now 11 colonies in
the city that were set up over the years by encroaching on government
land. These colonies collectively cover around 70 acres of land in
different parts of Chandigarh. A plan for demolishing these colonies in a
phased manner will be prepared by the UT Administration in the coming
days.

“There are 11 colonies that are still left in different areas.
These cover around 70 acres of land in Chandigarh. The plan for
demolishing these would be discussed shortly,” says UT Assistant Estate
Officer Rahul Gupta.

The biggest among the existing colonies is Colony No. 4. Likely
to be the next in line for demolition, it is situated in Industrial
Area, Phase I. A list of beneficiaries to be allotted tenements under
the slum rehabilitation scheme has been prepared. Once the allotment of
the tenements is done, the colony will be demolished.

One of the flaws in the design of Chandigarh is stated to be lack
of provision for housing for the economically weaker sections. With the
city having been built from scratch, the migrants who came here as
labourers set up their houses wherever they could find space. These
migrants, however, used to pay a nominal rent before they were allotted
houses. Amongst the earliest houses given under rehabilitation were at
Dadumajra and Ramdarbar in the late 1970s.

Later, however, land that was acquired by the administration for
development projects across the city was encroached upon. A blind eye
was turned to sprouting of the colonies. Once these became important
votebanks with hundreds of people staying in one place, there was
resistance from political parties to demolish the illegal hutments till
people are rehabilitated.

Former mayor and chairperson of Social Welfare Board Kamlesh
says, “The city cannot be slum-free till certain steps are taken by the
administration. There is a need for providing some accommodation on
temporary basis for migrants who come here to find work. This will
ensure that they do not encroach upon land. The growth of illegal
jhuggis should be stopped in the initial stages. The officials, however,
turn a blind eye to this.”

Several schemes have been floated by the administration over the
years for the purpose of rehabilitating slum dwellers. However, the
problem continues to persist. It is now being expected that with the
allotment of houses being constructed under the Jawaharlal Nehru
National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the city would become
slum-free. During his recent visit to Chandigarh, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh also expressed hope that Chandigarh would become the
first slum-free city in the country.

Senior BJP leader Harmohan Dhawan feels it is the half-hearted
approach of the administration that is to be blamed. “There has to be a
comprehensive plan for rehabilitation. Bureaucrats are posted in the
city for three years and then transferred. There is a lack of
continuity. Rehabilitation is done in a half-hearted manner. Some are
allotted houses, others are left out. In this manner the problem will
not end as people will find space to set up a house,” he says.

One-room tenements are ready for allotment at Mauli Jagran where some

of the residents of the colonies will be shifted. A tender for
construction of more than 5,000 two-room flats at Maloya under the
rehabilitation scheme has been approved by the Chandigarh Housing Board.
The construction is likely to start in the coming days.

REHABILITATION SCHEMES

The UT Administration has been rehabilitating migrants
since the late 1970s. The migrants who had come to the city and were
paying rent were allotted houses in Ramdarbar and Dadumajra. These are
now three-storeyed buildings putting pressure on the infrastructure that
was not fit to cater to three times the population. Houses have been
allotted under several schemes, including Indira Awas Yojna and Ambedkar
Awas Yojna. Currently, tenements are being constructed with funds under
JNNURM. These have been allotted in sectors 38 (W) and 49. After Union
Minister Kumari Selja raised objections to the design of the one-room
tenements, plans have now been approved for two-room flats.

COMMERCIAL AREA TO COME UP

A commercial area is proposed to be developed on the land
vacated by demolishing Colony No. 5. Similar to the development on
Madhya Marg, a shopping complex would be provided. As per the draft
Master Plan 2031, mixed land use is proposed for the area. Apart from
commercial, residential and institutional complexes could be developed.