4 min readApr 9, 2026 12:27 PM IST
In the middle of House meeting Wednesday, Chandigarh Mayor Saurabh Joshi along with other councillors went straight to Sector 45 to protest against the demolition drive by the Chandigarh Housing board. Joshi sat there in front of the houses stating that he wouldn’t move from there until the drive is stopped and gave the team 15 minutes of time. The drive was then temporarily stopped.
It all began when Congress councilor Gurpreet Singh said that this was the first and foremost issue to be taken up as the residents were facing bulldozers on their houses.
He said that he wants everyone’s support as even when it is raining, the housing board is all out to pull down the structures.
“No one can suppress my voice today. Despite the administration assuring that no demolition would be done, it is being regularly carried out and it isn’t justified,” said Gurpreet.
While Harpreet Kaur Babla tried to speak in the middle, Gurpreet said that this amounts to suppressing his voice which can’t be done.
“It is not just my issue since it is happening in my ward. It is every coincillor’s issue because innocent residents are being targeted,” he said.
The moment lunch time was announced, the councillors along with Mayor Saurabh Joshi headed to Sector 45 and sat on protest.
Joshi said that across all party lines, all the councillors were with residents and the drive be stopped immediately.
Mayor Joshi supported the concern raised in the House, stating that the Housing Board was “openly harassing residents” and assured that the Municipal Corporation would stand with the people. Gurpreet also reminded the House that the UT Administrator had earlier stated in the House that people’s homes would not be demolished, yet CHB was continuing with demolition drives in the city.
The councillor alleged that while CHB officials were targeting small flats under the pretext of removing illegal constructions, they were ignoring alleged encroachments in large government bungalows and houses of influential people, including bureaucrats and judges. He said that the authorities should first remove encroachments from their own residences before taking action against houses built by middle- and lower-income families through their hard-earned money.
Temporarily the drive was stopped for the day after Mayor Joshi and other councillors sat there stating that they will not move from there.
Not just this, after the councillors extended support, even the CRAWFED also came out in support of the residents.
The CRAWFED appealed to the Chandigarh Administrator to immediately intervene and direct the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) to stop the ongoing demolition drive in sectors 45 and 41.
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Hitesh Puri, chairman of CRAWFED, stated that during the recent Administrator’s Advisory Council meeting held on March 12, 2026, the CEO of CHB had himself proposed redevelopment of CHB flats based on a report by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). The report reportedly mentioned that the lifespan of these flats is around 55 years, which is expected to end in 2033.
He questioned the rationale behind the ongoing demolition drive when redevelopment plans are already under consideration. He emphasised that CHB can wait for the remaining seven years before implementing redevelopment, instead of taking immediate demolition action.
The body suggested that, in the interim, CHB could impose usage charges for any extra space being used under violations, while ensuring that no further unauthorised construction is allowed.
The statement also warned that if the demolition drive is not halted, it could trigger unrest among nearly 60,000 affected families, potentially impacting the law and order situation in the city.
CRAWFED has urged the administration to act prudently and in the interest of residents to avoid any escalation of tensions.
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