Chandigarh administration evicts differently abled residents from Cheshire Home

Chandigarh: In a controversial move, the Chandigarh administration forcefully evicted differently abled residents of Cheshire Home, Sector 21, on Saturday. Most of those ousted had been living in the home for more than a decade, with some claiming to have been there since 2007. The move has rendered several of them homeless.
UT social welfare department and estate office officials, armed with an eviction order from the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) and accompanied by police personnel, evicted the residents after a nearly seven-hour standoff.The residents strongly objected to the UT action, contending it was against a Punjab and Haryana high court stay order.
Sunil, a differently abled resident and wheelchair cricket player, said, "The officials abruptly came and started throwing our belongings out. We kept pleading that there was a HC stay on eviction, but they didn't budge. Most of the residents are now without any shelter. We are not in a position to find immediately any alternative residence."
Another resident, Ajay Bhardwaj, a Paralympian and working part-time with a private clinic, said, "I have been living in the home for more than a decade now. I have a part-time job. Most of the people living in the home are like me. But the administration, without even giving any time to us to find an alternate home, threw us out. Most of the residents are now without a shelter. Some have been accommodated for the time being with some relative or friend or assisted by social workers. This is the most inhumane action by the administration."
Mohan Lal, another resident of the home, living for the last six years, said, "I am 50 years old. I am surviving on medicines. I cannot understand what happened suddenly that everyone was made homeless by the government."
Earlier, Cheshire Home was run by an NGO, but for the last few years, it was being run by the social welfare department. The department tried to vacate this home in Jan last year. The area SDM then issued eviction orders, but the differently abled people approached the court, and the eviction was stayed. The case continued in the court for a year.
On Saturday, at around 9 am, UT officials entered the home and started evicting the residents and throwing out their belongings. They claimed that the court lifted the stay and the SDM again issued orders to vacate. The disabled opposed the action and said that the court has not lifted the stay yet. They will file a contempt petition. Members of an NGO and one of their lawyers also reached the spot and tried to stop the eviction. They also contended that the stay has not been vacated.
A DSP and Tehsildar (duty magistrate) also reached the spot. At around 3.30 pm, on the instructions of the tehsildar, the belongings of the disabled were thrown on the roadside.
UT Administration On Eviction
A UT spokesperson said, "The department of social welfare, Chandigarh administration, got vacated Cheshire Home in Sector 21 from unauthorised occupants after following due procedure of law, thereby ensuring the rightful utilisation of the property for the welfare and rehabilitation of marginalised sections of society."
Cheshire Home, originally managed by an NGO, had been serving as a temporary hostel facility for the differently abled. However, with its transition under the administration's direct supervision, it became imperative to regulate its occupancy in alignment with its intended purpose. The residents had been residing there for an extended period. Most of them were residents of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh and were running their own businesses or doing private jobs.
"To address the matter, the department sought intervention from the authority concerned. Eviction proceedings were initiated a few months back. However, due to the grant of stay by the honourable district court, the department could not go ahead. In the last hearing, the stay was vacated by the honourable district court, thereby allowing the authorities to complete the eviction proceedings. After due procedure, the property has been successfully reclaimed," claimed the spokesperson.
The administration made special provisions for a deaf and dumb abandoned resident, ensuring his rehabilitation in a govt-run home under the department's care, said the spokesperson.