Chandigarh, Sept. 24, 2025: Chandigarh is preparing to demolish its last remaining slum, Shahpur Colony in Sector 38 (West), on Sept. 30, a move that officials say will make the Union Territory the first slum-free city in the country.
Spread across four acres of government land valued at ₹250 crore, Shahpur Colony has around 300 shanties and nearly 1,000 residents. Public notices have already been pasted outside the settlement, asking occupants to vacate ahead of the drive.
Officials from the UT estate office said a verification process is underway to determine which families qualify for rehabilitation. “We are verifying their identity and address proofs. So far, more than 45 families have been found eligible under the UT’s rehabilitation scheme and will be allotted flats. The process is still on,” an official noted, adding that the demolition will begin early on Sept. 30.
The administration’s push to make Chandigarh slum-free began in the early 2000s. In 2006, it launched the Chandigarh Small Flats Scheme, earmarking 356 acres—nearly one-fifth of the city’s vacant land—for 25,728 flats meant to house 23,841 families from 18 unauthorized colonies. Families were asked to pay a nominal monthly rent, but officials acknowledged that delays and non-payment have resulted in large outstanding dues.
So far, the UT has demolished 18 of the city’s 19 slum colonies, reclaiming more than 520 acres of land valued at over ₹21,000 crore. In 2025 alone, land worth ₹1,530 crore has been recovered through demolition drives.
On June 19, the administration razed Adarsh Colony, spread across 12 acres in Sectors 53 and 54, reclaiming land worth ₹480 crore. A month earlier, on May 6, Janta Colony in Sector 25 was demolished, clearing about 10 acres worth ₹350 crore. On April 24, over 1,000 structures were removed from Sanjay Colony in Industrial Area, Phase 1, freeing six acres valued at ₹300 crore.
Past demolitions include major settlements such as Colony Number 5 in 2013 and Colony Number 4 in 2022, which together occupied more than 165 acres. Other razed colonies include Mazdoor Colony, Kuldeep Colony, Pandit Colony, Nehru Colony, Ambedkar Colony, Kajheri Colony and Madrasi Colony. The UT has also cleared the three-decade-old furniture market that had been operating illegally since 1985 in Sectors 53 and 54.
Officials said the UT engineering department is preparing redevelopment plans for the reclaimed land, which will be earmarked for residential, commercial and institutional projects under the Chandigarh Master Plan-2031.
The master plan prioritizes slum clearance and rehabilitation, with an emphasis on resettling slum dwellers in affordable housing rather than leaving them displaced. As part of this strategy, more than 25,000 small flats have already been constructed in Dhanas, Maloya, Mauli Jagran and Ramdarbar under the 2006 scheme, aimed at providing dignified housing for economically weaker sections.
With Shahpur Colony’s demolition, officials said Chandigarh will close a chapter two decades in the making. “This will be the final step in making the city slum-free,” an estate officer noted, calling it a landmark moment for the ‘City Beautiful.’
