‘Let CHB decide’: HC disposes of petition by Janta colony residents
The petitioners argued that they had been provided with essential amenities such as electricity and water connections, as well as sewage facilities
The Punjab and Haryana high court on Saturday disposed of a petition filed by 109 residents of Janta Colony, directing the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) to consider their representation regarding rehabilitation. The residents had challenged a notice issued by the UT administration on Thursday that instructed them to vacate their premises “within a week” of its issuance.
Janta Colony, located in Sector 25, is the last remaining slum in the city. The petition, presented before the bench of Justice Sudhir Singh and Justice Alok Jain, contested the residents’ impending eviction, brought before the court in response to a notice demanding they vacate their dwellings at their own expense. The petitioners also sought the quashing of an order dated February 25, which had rejected their request for alternative accommodation “without giving an opportunity of being heard.”
Furthermore, the petition sought directives to restrain the respondents – including the UT, the deputy commissioner (DC), and the CHB – from evicting them from their homes and makeshift dwellings in Janta Colony pending the final decision on their writ petition.
The petitioners argued that they had been provided with essential amenities such as electricity and water connections, as well as sewage facilities. They further stated that they had been consistently paying their utility charges and possessed valid ration cards, voter IDs, Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, and driving licenses as proof of their residency.
Drawing a parallel to a previous case, the petitioners pointed out that Colony Number 4 was demolished in April 2022. They highlighted that despite some occupants’ claims for accommodation being initially rejected under the small flat scheme, 290 flats were eventually allotted to them.
The petitioners also informed the court that they were called by the office of the DC-cum-estate officer to deliberate on their claims for alternative accommodations, following directives issued by the high court in other similar cases. However, they contended that no order regarding their representation had been passed to date.
“The residents of Janta Colony, Sector 25, Chandigarh, including the petitioners, have been served with the impugned notice dated nil issued by the respondents for the demolition of constructed houses, makeshift dwellings, etc., at Janta Colony. Hence, the present writ petition,” the court was informed.
