Chandigarh, April 24 -- The Chandigarh administration resolutely reclaimed its prime land worth Rs.250 crore after demolishing Sanjay Colony, an illegal slum cluster in Industrial Area, Phase 1, on Wednesday.

Driven by its "Slum-Free City" campaign, the administration, backed by heavy police presence, launched the demolition early in the morning at 7.

Within hours, bulldozers flattened thousands of shanties/jhuggies, leaving behind heaps of rubble-and stories of displacement. Most of the colony's occupants had begun removing their belongings before the bulldozers arrived.

The prized government land had been illegally occupied by around 5,000 dwellers, living in 1,500-1,800 shanties/jhuggis, as per officials from the UT Estate Office. A...