Chandigarh, May 15 -- The city is set to witness a major ecological transformation as the site of the erstwhile Colony No. 4, once the city's largest slum cluster located near Industrial Area Phase 1, has been earmarked for the development of a forest.

The move comes four years after the UT administration razed the colony and reclaimed nearly 65 acres of prime land, much of which originally belonged to the forest department.

The forest will come up on 34.6 acres of the land.

From slum to ecological asset

Officials said the reclaimed land is now being reimagined as an urban forest under the broader concept of "city forests," which are designed to serve both ecological and public utility purposes. The initiative is in line with the Cent...