Malik wale bungalow In major development in Chandigarh, the Union Territory (UT) government destroyed 20 shanties in a major title demolition drive at Adarsh Colony in which an area of about 12 acres of encroached government land was put to the wrecking ball. As this move seeks to take back land belonging to government, tens of thousands of people have been rendered homeless by the move. When bulldozers arrived there was mayhem and heartbreak as families desperately packed up and watched their homes crushed into heap of rubbles. The authorities said that the eviction took place by a due process and a series of earlier notifications but claimants say they did not have sufficient time or assistance to move on.
This hard news has elicited open debate and alarm among the local civil right groups and political leaders who have condemned the administration on the time and magnitude of the operation. Although the authorities at the UT justified the action on the need to clean up unlawful occupation, and restore government land to the people, there are numerous doubts as to why no rehabilitation has been done to the affected families. This event has made us realise the vulnerable state of urban poor communities and it is once again led to ensuring that the area of urban development and human rights is balanced.