Chandigarh Claims Dubious Slum-Free Distinction; Unpaid Anganwadi Workers

Amid piles of rubble that were once Shahpur Colony in Chandigarh's Sector 38—destroyed household goods and stranded families—the Union Territory claimed the distinction of becoming India's first slum-free city. On 30 Sep, the enforcement team of the estate office demolished part of the colony, valued at USD 28M, the land had housed nearly 1K people living in over 300 hutments for around three decades. This marked the end of a 12-year effort by the local administration to clear 18 slums and valuable public land worth USD 2.3B. In total, over 520 acres have been recovered, providing the city with more room for growth and improved planning. Over the years, families eligible for rehabilitation were allotted EWS (economically weaker section) flats but hundreds of thousands of residents have been left bereft of documentation, shelter, and work. The migrant labor, primary residents of these slums are construction labor, house help, house maids, factory workers and other professions. As the city grew north to south, their slum colonies grew where work was available. As the construction work ends, the slums of the very labor that builds homes of the elite and middle-class, government infrastructure start seeming like eye-sores. Meanwhile, in Panjab, over 50K anganwadi (childcare) workers and helpers in nearly 27K centers across the state have not received their honorarium for the past six months. The workers get USD 123 per month, of which USD 50 is the honorarium component. This includes USD 33 from the union government and USD 17 from the state government. However, since April, this amount has not been credited into their accounts. Fed up with the delay, the childcare workers staged a massive protest outside the office of the Social Security Department in Chandigarh on 1 Oct. Union members said the deputy director of the Social Security Department had sought two to three days to resolve the issue, after which they would chalk out their next course of action. They said that if the issue is not resolved, they would restrict the entry of Social Security Minister Dr Baljit Kaur to villages (earlier coverage).