Chandigarh: In the heart of India’s most meticulously planned city, a quiet but powerful transformation is underway. Over the past six months, nearly 50 acres of prime government land — once swallowed by slums, unauthorized colonies, and makeshift markets — have been reclaimed by the administration in a sweeping anti-encroachment drive.What was once a patchwork of tin roofs and tangled alleys is now being cleared for a bold new vision: planned development, modern infrastructure, and long-delayed civic projects. From Sanjay Colony’s demolition in April to the recent flattening of Adarsh Colony, the city’s skyline is shifting—one bulldozer at a time.“For years, critical projects were stuck because the land was simply not available,” said a senior UT official. “Now, with these encroachments removed, we can finally move forward with Chandigarh’s next phase of growth.”“The lands will be used by the department concerned, like UT engineering department, Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB), and municipal corporation,” the official added.The administration, in a recent meeting chaired by Punjab governor and UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria gave a detailed presentation on how the vacated land would be used.In April this year, the administration reclaimed 6 acres of land, worth around Rs 300 crore, by demolishing Sanjay Colony in Industrial Area Phase-1. In the drive, 1,200 hutments were demolished, and around 6,000 people were evicted from the land.“The land in this area will be used for industrial plots, and on a major chunk of it, a railway yard, godown, and railway yard extension are planned,” said the UT official.Continuing with the drive to reclaim govt land, in May, the administration demolished Janta Colony, Sector 25. Ten acres, worth around Rs 450 crore, of encroached govt land was reclaimed during the drive. More than 10,000 residents were removed, and 2,500 structures were demolished during the drive.“As the encroachments were majorly within an existing resettlement colony, the long-pending development works in the area will be taken up now. These include parks, shopping areas, a creche, a school, and a community centre. Also, there are plans to develop a sizable portion of the vacated area into a green belt,” said the official.On June 19, the administration demolished the Adarsh Colony, located between Sector 53 and 54, resulting in the recovery of approximately 12 acres of prime govt land, estimated to be worth Rs 500 crore. Around 800 hutments were demolished during the anti-encroachment drive. Earlier in Sector 53, ten acres were reclaimed from an unauthorised religious complex.“This land chunk is the most crucial for the city’s expansion. The land has been earmarked for the development of the third phase of the city. While the first and second phase development of the city has been completed, the third phase has been held up for several years. Though multiple reasons were behind this slow progress of the third phase, large-scale land encroachments were the main reason. In the area, now the administration and the CHB can come up with planned residential, commercial, and institutional development,” said the official.The administration is all set to reclaim another 15 acres in Sector 53-54 after the demolition of the furniture market. This will also be used for the development of the third phase of the city.
