Chandigarh, May 6 -- As part of its slum-free campaign, the Chandigarh administration is all set to demolish the city's last big slum, Janta Colony in Sector 25, on Tuesday. This comes nearly two weeks after the administration demolished 1,000 makeshift structures in Sanjay Colony, Industrial Area Phase 1, which were encroaching upon nearly six acres of prime land. On the other hand, the Janta Colony, which houses around 5,000 dwellers in approximately 2,500 shanties, has illegally occupied 10 acres of prime government land in Sector 25. This land, UT estate officials say, is valued at around Rs.350 crore. Once cleared, a dispensary, primary school, community centre and a shopping area will come up here. The demolition drive will begin at 5 am on Tuesday in the presence of 1,500 police personnel and 1,500 officials from the municipal corporation and UT estate office. "A notice was issued in advance to the residents of the area to vacate the place within a week. Most have complied," said deputy commissioner-cum-UT estate officer Nishant Kumar Yadav. The DC further said that the Janta Colony is the last big slum in the city. After this, only two small slums -- Shahpur in Sector 38 and another one in Sector 54, remain. "These too will be cleared soon," Yadav added. The UT administration has been working on making the city slum-free since the early 2000s. In 2006, it had come up with a comprehensive plan to replace slums with alternative housing. The ambitious plan involved earmarking 356 acres - nearly 20% of Chandigarh's 2,811 acres of net vacant land - for constructing rehabilitation flats. "Under the Chandigarh Small Flats Scheme, 2006, a total of 25,728 flats were planned for the rehabilitation of 23,841 families residing across 18 illegal colonies in the city. These families, comprising over one lakh individuals, were identified through a survey. While most had been living in Chandigarh for more than 10 years, some had been residents for over 20 years." In return, relocated families were required to pay a nominal monthly rent. However, delayed or non-payment of rent has led to massive dues piling up over the years. In 2013, the UT razed Colony Number 5 and then Colony Number 4 in 2022. Together these slums had occupied over 165 acres of government land. Apart from this, the administration also demolished Mazdoor Colony, Kuldeep Colony, Pandit Colony, Nehru Colony, Ambedkar Colony, Kajheri Colony and Madrasi Colony over the years....