Chandigarh: The Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC), since its reconstitution on November 27, 2024, has disposed of 3086 cases in just six months. Puneet Arora, Protocol, Information and Public Relations Officer, HHRC said that between November 27, 2024 and May 31, 2025, a total of 3086 cases were resolved, which included suomotu matters and 56 long-pending cases (over two years old). Between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025, HHRC received 2442 new complaints across various districts of Haryana. The highest numbers of cases were registered in Gurugram (320) and Faridabad (258), he added.

Jalandhar, June 11 :

In a major push to revamp sports infrastructure in Punjab, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for the transformation of Burlton Park into an ultra-modern Sports Hub.

The project will be developed at an estimated cost of ₹78 crore.

Describing it as a historic moment, both leaders emphasized that these new sports facilities will significantly strengthen Jalandhar’s status as the sports capital of India. Under the Smart City Mission, Burlton Park is being developed into a comprehensive Sports Hub featuring a wide range of facilities. As part of the project, a state-of-the-art cricket ground will be constructed alongside various other stadiums and modern sports amenities.

They said that Two multi-purpose stadiums are also being developed—one dedicated to handball, basketball, volleyball, badminton, and wrestling; and the other to weightlifting, judo, and kabaddi. Both leaders said that Separate stadiums for football and hockey are also planned, along with a dedicated yoga shed for yoga enthusiasts and a skating rink for young athletes. They said that in addition, cycling and jogging tracks will be constructed, and the existing lawn tennis courts will be modernized.

Both the leaders said that Sports Hub will include seating for 500 spectators indoors and 1,000 outdoors. They said that to enhance public convenience, the facility will also include amenities such as a cafeteria, shopping complex/vending zones, reliable electricity and water supply, and other necessary infrastructure. They further said that to ensure uninterrupted power, the complex will be equipped with transformers and DG sets.

Both the leaders said that park will feature three main entry gates, traffic lights for smooth traffic management, and renovated roads with aesthetic landscaping. They said that Parking facilities will accommodate over 200 four-wheelers and more than 150 two-wheelers. Highlighting Jalandhar’s rich sporting legacy, both leaders remarked that the city is globally renowned thanks to institutions like Burlton Park, Surjit Hockey Stadium, and the Sports College.

They noted that footballs, rugby balls, and other equipment made in Jalandhar are used in prestigious events such as the FIFA World Cup and the Commonwealth Games. They further added that top cricketers around the world use cricket bats manufactured in Jalandhar, and that Punjab’s sporting tradition began and flourished here. Both the leaders said that Punjab Government, they affirmed, is fully committed to advancing Jalandhar’s prominence in the field of sports adding they concluded by announcing that the project will be completed and dedicated to the public within the next year.

Chandigarh Fire Brigade Union Hosts Blood Donation Drive; Mayor Commends Firefighters’ Dedication to Humanity*

Chandigarh

The Fire Brigade Workers Welfare Union, in association with Shree Kanwar Mahasangh Charitable Trust, Chandigarh, organized a blood donation camp today at the Sector 17 Fire Station. The event highlighted the compassionate and service-driven spirit of the city’s firefighters and was graced by city Mayor Smt. Harpreet Kaur Babla as the Chief Guest, along with the dedicated personnel of the Chandigarh Fire Department.

Addressing the gathering, Mayor Babla praised the firefighters for their selfless service beyond emergency duties. “Our fire personnel are true heroes—not only do they save lives during critical situations, but they also step forward to serve humanity in every possible way. Today’s camp is a shining example of that spirit,” she remarked.

The blood donation drive was conducted in collaboration with PGI Chandigarh Hospital, with medical staff ensuring strict adherence to all safety and hygiene protocols. A total of 75 units of blood were collected during the camp.

Mayor Babla also interacted with the donors and expressed heartfelt appreciation for the fire department’s ongoing commitment to public welfare. The Fire Brigade Workers Welfare Union extended gratitude to all the volunteers, donors, and medical staff, reaffirming their continued dedication to both emergency response and community service.

CHANDIGARH, June 11: Suggesting that the Aam Aadmi Party government’s claims to bring ‘Udyog Kranti’ (industrial revolution) in Punjab was too late in the day, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring today said that the announcement was made only because of the Ludhiana West by-election which the ruling party was set to lose in any case. 

He also alleged that the announcement which was made when the electoral process is on and the model code of conduct is in force, amounts to violation of the code. 

Reacting to the announcement, the PCC president said, the hype created around the programme was so characteristic of the AAP where the budget on advertisements and publicity outruns the actual cost of the project.

He pointed out, the state was financially in a mess and the state government was surviving on borrowed money and multiplying the loan year after year. He said, the trade and industry in Punjab was crying for the GST refunds, which had been delayed for months together. 

“Just because you are staring at an imminent defeat in Ludhiana West, you decided to make a tempting announcement of ’45 days’ clearance, which obviously nobody is going to believe as everybody is sure that it is never going to happen”, he told the AAP government. 

The PCC president said the timing of the announcement was important. He said, this is actually a violation of the model code of conduct, which is in force due to the Ludhiana West by-election. He pointed out, elections are being held in Ludhiana West, which is an industrial hub. By making an alluring announcement, in the midst of the election process, the AAP has violated the election model code of conduct. 

But, he added, the Congress would still have welcomed it if it was sure that the government’s intentions are genuine and sincere. He said, anyone can make out the reason and purpose behind this gala event is only to influence the Ludhiana West election outcome. Everything will be forgotten on June 19, he predicted.

Chandigarh, June 11

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar held a series of bilateral meetings with the Heads of various Election Management Bodies (EMBs) on the sidelines of his visit to Sweden to attend the International IDEA Stockholm Conference on Electoral Integrity (June 10-12, 2025).

These engagements aim to further strengthen India’s longstanding partnerships in election management and democratic cooperation. During the bilateral meetings, CEC Gyanesh Kumar held one-on-one discussions with heads and senior officials from several Election Management Bodies (EMBs), covering a wide range of global electoral experiences and innovations.

Later in the evening of Tuesday, CEC Gyanesh Kumar delivered the inaugural keynote address at the opening session of the International IDEA Stockholm Conference on Electoral Integrity.

Details of bilateral meetings:

1. Ms. Marisa Arlene Cabral Porchas, Coordinator of International Affairs and Ms. Norma Irene De la Cruz, Electoral Councilor, National Electoral Institute, Mexico

2. Mr. Mochammad Afifuddin, Chairperson, General Election Commission, Republic of Indonesia (KPU RI)

3. Mr. Purvee Delgernaran, Chairperson, General Election Commission of Mongolia

4. Mr. Mosotho Simon Moepya, Chairperson, Electoral Commission of South Africa

5. Mr. Hanspeter Wyss, Policy Advisor, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Switzerland

6. Ms. Angelica Caraman, Chairperson and Mr. Pavel Postica, Deputy Chairperson, Central Election Commission, Republic of Moldova.

7. Mr. Darius Gaizauskas, Head of Information Technology Department, Central Electoral Commission, Republic of Lithuania

8. Mr. Abdool Rahman Mohammad Irfan, Electoral Commissioner of Mauritius.

9. Mr. Vijay Rangarajan, Chief Executive, Electoral Commission of the United Kingdom

10. Ms. Anna-Karina Elbert, Head and Ms. Claudia Isfort, Assistant Head, Federal Returning Officer’s Office, Germany.

11. Mr. Oleh Didenko, Chairperson and Mr. Vitalli Plukar, Deputy Chairperson, Central Election Commission of Ukraine

12. Mr. Drazenko Pandek, State Electoral Commission of the Republic of Croatia.

Chandigarh, June 11:

Highlighting India’s electoral integrity, scale and diversity, Gyanesh Kumar, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, while delivering his keynote address at the Stockholm International Conference on Electoral Integrity in Sweden last evening, reaffirmed the role of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in capacity building programmes for Election Management Bodies (EMB) of countries around the globe. Conducting elections with utmost integrity is a testament to our national resolve, he emphasized. Over 100 participants representing Election Management Bodies (EMBs) of around 50 countries are taking part in the Conference, which is being organised by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA).

Gyanesh Kumar also informed the participants about the massive scale of the election exercise that is undertaken by the ECI, especially during the parliamentary elections, which is done under the close watch of the political parties; candidates; general, police and expenditure observers and the media who, he stated, act akin to concurrent auditors at various stages. The CEC also highlighted the scale of coordination that underpins the conduct of elections in India. With over 20 million personnel, including polling staff, police forces, observers, and agents of political parties at the time of conduct of elections, ECI becomes the world’s largest organisation, surpassing the combined workforce of several national governments and major global corporations and ensures that India’s nearly one billion electors are freely able to exercise their franchise.

Further, speaking at this global platform, Gyanesh Kumar traced the evolution of Indian elections over the decades, noting how the system has adapted to increasing complexity while staying rooted in constitutional values. From 173 million electors in 1951-52 to 979 million in 2024, and from just 0.2 million polling stations in the early years to over 1.05 million today, India’s electoral journey has demonstrated both institutional foresight and unmatched scale. He noted that the 2024 General Elections saw the participation of 743 political parties, which comprised six national parties, 67 state parties and the other registered political parties. A total of 20,271 candidates contested elections conducted across the length and breadth of the country using 6.2 million Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), reaffirming the Commission’s capability to conduct elections that are inclusive, efficient, and secure.

Gyanesh Kumar underscored the statutory sharing of India’s Electoral Roll with all recognized political parties every year during revision as well as before the elections since 1960 till today, with provision of claims, objections and appeals, as one of the world’s most rigorous and transparent exercises, reinforcing the accuracy and integrity of the electoral process. He noted that this robust mechanism plays a vital role in upholding electoral credibility across the country, year after year.

Reflecting on the inclusive design of Indian elections, he stated that the electoral process serves first-time voters, senior citizens aged 85+, persons with special abilities, third-gender electors, and voters in the most inaccessible regions with equal care and commitment. From polling booths with a single elector to highest altitude stations like Tashigang in Himachal Pradesh, India’s commitment to leaving no voter behind was reiterated as a constitutional principle rather than a logistical challenge.

Chandigarh, June 11:

Proper and professional training of polling officials is an integral part of the preparation for elections. The primary objective of training is to equip the polling personnel with the required knowledge and skills to conduct elections strictly as per Law, Rules and instructions. For this purpose, two rounds of training are conducted in smaller groups so that there is adequate opportunity for interaction and doubt clearing. In the training programmes, hands-on-training related to their role/duties on use of EVMs is also conducted as per guidelines of the Election Commission of India.

Punjab CEO Sibin C informed that First Training of polling and presiding officers to be deployed at 194 polling stations for conducting poll on 19-06-2025 for Bye election 064-Ludhiana West was organized on 04-06-2025 at Auditorium Khalsa college for women. 1552 polling personnel in Two Shifts at morning 09.00AM and Afternoon at 02.00 PM were trained during the training programme.

As a part of hands-on-training on use of EVMs, a mock drill on EVM voting was conducted by every Presiding Officer/polling officer individually on separate machines. In the mock drill voting, 388 Presiding Officers participated.

During the mock drill, individual Presiding Officers cast at least 100 votes in EVM for dummy candidates on a random basis. After completion of mock voting, Presiding Officers personally tallied manual record of votes cast with electronic result of Control Unit and thereafter, electronic result from Control Unit with respective VVPAT slips count. No mismatch was found in manual record of votes cast, electronic result of EVM and VVPAT slips count.

The Presiding and Polling officers thanked the Election Commission for this hands-on training and came out fully satisfied and showed complete confidence in the functioning of the EVM machines.

Chandigarh, June 11:

Due to the commitment of the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government to provide better administration, the state’s Transport Department has collected an additional revenue of Rs. 5375.65 crore during the year 2022-2025 as compared to the year 2019-2022, which is a testament to the better administration of the State Government.

Punjab Transport Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar while sharing this information said that the non-commercial wing of the Punjab Transport Department, PUNBUS and Roadways and PEPSU have registered a significant increase in revenue collection, which reflects the efforts of the department to better its financial performance. He said that the Punjab Transport Department is committed to continue its efforts to increase revenue collection and improve its services to the public.

The Transport Minister said that in the last three years, the non-commercial wing (STC) of the Transport Department has generated a total revenue of Rs. 9037.49 crore. He said that in contrast, the revenue generated during the years 2019-2020, 2022-2021 and 2021-2022 was Rs. 5825.38 crore. Reiterating the state government’s commitment to better governance, he said that an additional revenue of Rs. 3212.11 crore has been collected during the years 2022-2023, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025, which is a record.

The Cabinet Minister said that PUNBUS and Punjab Roadways have collected an additional revenue of Rs. 2323.21 crore during the three years of 2022-2025 as compared to Rs. 1332.03 crore in the year 2019-2022, which is an increase of Rs. 990.91 crore.

S. Bhullar said that PEPSU Roadways Transport Corporation has collected a revenue of Rs. 2894.15 crore during the year 2022-2025 as compared to Rs. 1721.52 crore in the year 2019-2022. He said that the revenue for the year 2022-2025 is Rs. 1172.63 crores more than the previous three years.

S. Bhullar further said that this impressive performance by the Transport Department is a testament to the department’s commitment to improve its revenue collection methods. He said that due to the sincere efforts of the State Government, Punjab is continuously moving forward in the direction of all-round development. He said that the government led by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has been working towards making Punjab a Rangla Punjab since the past 3 years.

CHANDIGARH, June 11:

          With the war against drugs “Yudh Nashian Virudh” waged on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to eradicate drug menace from state completed 102 days, Punjab Police on Wednesday arrested 113 drug smugglers and recovered 1.5 kg heroin and Rs 15040 drug money from their possession. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached to 16,982 in just 102 days.

          The operation was conducted on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav simultaneously in all 28 Police districts of the state.

          Notably, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has asked the Commissioners of Police, Deputy Commissioners and Senior Superintendent of Police to make Punjab drug free state. The Punjab government has also constituted a 5-member Cabinet Sub Committee led by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema to monitor the war against drugs.

          Divulging details, Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla informed that over 200 Police teams, comprising over 1300 police personnel, under the supervision of 96 gazetted officers have conducted raids at as many as 505 locations across the state leading to the registration of 83 first information reports (FIRs) across the state. Police teams have also checked as many as 525 suspicious persons during the day-long operation, he added.

          The Special DGP said that with the state government has enforced a three-pronged strategy— Enforcement, Deaddiction and Prevention (EDP)— to eradicate drugs from the state, the Punjab Police as part of ‘De-addiction’ has convinced 93 persons to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment today.

Chandigarh, June 11:

The Punjab Government successfully supplied a record-high electricity demand of 16,711 MW across the state without any power cuts on June 11, 2025. This was disclosed by Punjab Power Minister S. Harbhajan Singh ETO in a press statement issued here today.

He stated that the previous record of 16,192 MW, set just a day earlier on June 10, 2025, was surpassed within 24 hours. Prior to that, the highest peak demand was 16,058 MW, recorded on June 29, 2024.He said today new Record Set for Electricity Demand in the State.

The Power Minister emphasized that under the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, the officers and employees of PSPCL and PSTCL have been working tirelessly to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the people of Punjab. He lauded their efforts and said they deserve special appreciation for their dedication and commitment.

S. Harbhajan Singh ETO further informed that the state government had already made arrangements for 17,000 MW of electricity in anticipation of the summer and paddy sowing seasons. This preparedness ensured that the peak demands recorded over the last two days were successfully met without any disruptions.