Chandigarh, March 5

          As part of the ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign launched by the Punjab government under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to make the state drug-free, the properties of drug smugglers in Jalandhar and Mandi Gobindgarh (Fatehgarh Sahib district) were demolished today.

          Commissionerate Police Jalandhar, in coordination with the Municipal Corporation, on Wednesday demolished an illegal property belonging to a drug smuggler. The encroached structure, constructed on government land alledgely using drug money, was razed as part of the ongoing campaign “Yudh Nashian Virudh.”

          Divulging the details, Commissioner of Police Jalandhar stated that the Municipal Corporation had received information about an illegal construction on Government land by a notorious drug smuggler, Dharminder, son of Mohan Lal, a resident of Dhankiya Mohalla, Jalandhar. The property was reportedly built using proceeds from his illegal drug trade.

          The CP Jalandhar further revealed that Dharminder is a habitual offender, with six cases registered against him under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. This action marks a significant step in dismantling the financial network of drug peddlers and ensuring accountability.

          Similarly, under the supervision of Fatehgarh Sahib SSP Shubham Agarwal, a house belonging to a drug trafficker in Master Colony, Mandi Gobindgarh, was demolished. This house had been built illegally on government land.

          He revealed that the family residing in Master Colony had two cases registered against them under the NDPS Act in 2024.  He further informed that six more houses in the district have been identified, and action will be taken against them soon.

          On this occasion, MLA Gurinder Singh Garry Warring of Amloh constituency stated that drug traffickers have led the youth of Punjab astray, and the government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is fully committed to saving Punjab’s youth. He emphasized that no drug trafficker will be allowed to operate in the land of martyrs, Fatehgarh Sahib.

          It is worth mentioning that the local residents strongly supported the Punjab government’s anti-drug initiative, chanting slogans in favor of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and the police administration.

CHANDIGARH, March 2:

          Continuing the war against drugs “Yudh Nashian Virudh” waged by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to eradicate drug menace from state consecutively for the second day, Punjab Police on Sunday has conducted raids at 510 locations leading to the arrest of 43 drug smugglers after registration of 27 first information reports (FIRs) across the state. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached to 333 in just two days.

          Police teams have also recovered 776 grams heroin, 14 kg opium, 38 kg poppy husk, 2615 intoxicant tablets/pills/injections and Rs 4.60 lakh drug money from the possession of arrested drug smugglers.

          The operation was conducted on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav from 9am to 4pm 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 in coming three months. 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 300 Police teams, comprising over 2000 police personnel, under the supervision of 101 gazetted officers have conducted raids across the state and checked as many as 619 suspicious persons during the day long operation

          He said that Punjab Police has devised a comprehensive strategy and such operations will be continued till the scourge of drugs eradicated from the state.

          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 ‘Prevention’ has also been organising different events to spread awareness among people about the detrimental effects of drugs and get support of the general public in fight against drugs. As many as 510 awareness events, which includes awareness camps, seminars and public meetings were organised on Sunday in all the 28 Police districts, he added.

Chandigarh, March 2

Punjab Public Works Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO categorically rejected claims made by Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu that the Public Works Department of the Punjab Government is delaying the issuing of NOC for construction of the 4-Lane Railway Over Bridge (ROB) on Doraha-Sahnewal road at level crossing 164-A over Ambala-Ludhiana Railway line falling under Ambala Division of Northern Railway.

Setting the record straight, State PWD Minister said that the requisite NOC already stands issued on 11.11.2024, so the statement of Railway Minister regarding non-issuance of NOC by State Government is devoid of facts. Sh. Harbhajan Singh further informed that the said RoB formed part of agreement between Concessionaire M/s. Atlanta Tollways & Govt. of Punjab  in 2011. Though all other project components were completed, the RoB could not be completed due to change in Railways’ development plans. This unforeseen change led to the concessionaire’s inability to complete the ROB, resulting in the contract’s termination on August 5, 2021

The concessionaire has since moved to arbitration, challenging the contract termination and citing the increase in the ROB span on account of Railways’ development plans as the primary reason for non-completion. Notably, the concessionaire had already executed certain works of the ROB as per the previously approved General Arrangement Drawing (GAD) and has raised a claim of ₹3.28 crores for the executed works. Due to non-completion of RoB component, the concessionaire has also raised claim of Rs. 35.51 Lakh deposited with Railway authorities as Plant & Equipment charges.

PWD Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO said that the Railway Department has submitted a revised GAD for approval, and if approved as such, the works already executed at the site as per the previous GAD, also approved by Railways under 2011 Contract Agreement, would become a wasteful expenditure and State government will  additionally be burdened with arbitration pay-outs. Accordingly, the NOC issued on 11.11.2024 has been issued safeguarding the Govt. interests.

Punjab PWD Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO emphasized that as a Union State Minister, Ravneet Singh Bittu should be well aware that no government can accept work carried out as per earlier approved drawings being rendered wasteful. He said that attempts must be made to gainfully utilise the expenditure already incurred on the RoB. He remarked that Union State Minister should verify the facts before issuing statements just for its sake.

Chandigarh, March 2

Punjab Power and PWD Minister Mr. Harbhajan Singh ETO emphasized the importance of cybersecurity in today’s digital age, highlighting its impact on public safety and national security.

Speaking at the ‘Cyber Crime, Forensics, and Law Workshop’ held at Law Bhawan here today, Cabinet Minister Mr. Harbahajan Singh ETO commended the organizers, Truth Labs, Nasdeep Foundation, and Proud Legal, for hosting this workshop on technology-driven crimes and forensic investigation.

Cabinet Minister ETO acknowledged the challenges posed by cyber threats to critical infrastructure, including power grids, water systems, and transportation networks. He assured that the Punjab Government is committed to strengthening cyber resilience by implementing robust cybersecurity frameworks, investing in capacity building, and fostering public-private partnerships.

The Cabinet Minister emphasized the need for a collaborative approach, involving legal experts, technology specialists, law enforcement agencies, and civil society, to combat cyber threats. The Minister encouraged the legal professionals to develop expertise in dealing with digital evidence and emerging technologies, assuring government support for the judiciary and legal fraternity.

Encouraging students and young professionals to specialise in cybersecurity and cyber law, the Cabinet Minister highlighted the promising career opportunities and their contributions to society’s safety and security. The Minister expressed confidence that the knowledge shared during the workshop would translate into concrete actions, strengthening the collective response to cyber threats.

Prominent amongst others, Former Judge of Delhi High Court Mr. Justice Talwant Singh, Senior Advocate of the Punjab & Haryana High Court Mr. P.S. Hundal, Former District & Sessions Judge Mr. Jagdeep Singh Marok, Mr. U. Rammohan IPS, Mr. Imannuel Premkumar B, Mr. Jai Mangalwadi, Mr. Manohar Vashisth, Mr. Manu Singh and esteemed legal luminaries and cyber experts were present on this occasion.

Jahan Khela (Hoshiarpur), March 2:

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday handed over cheques of financial assistance worth Rs 1 crore (each) to the family members of five cops who were martyred during the line of duty.

The Chief Minister, on the sidelines of passing out parade here at today, handed over cheques worth Rs 1 crore (each) to the distressed family of martyr ASI (LR) Balwinder Singh, ASI (LR) Naseeb Chand, ASI (LR) Anil Kumar, Head Constable Manjinder Singh and Constable Inderjit Singh who had attained martyrdom while discharging their duties. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that this humble initiative of the state government is in recognition of the immense contribution of this son of soil towards maintaining law and order in the state. Reiterating the firm commitment of the state government to help the families of the soldiers who sacrifice their life at the altar of the motherland, he said that it is the bounden duty of the Punjab government.

The Chief Minister said that this initiative is in recognition of the immense contribution of the brave hearts who have sacrificed their lives for the sake of the country. He said that financial assistance to families of these heroes is in consonance with the commitment of the state government to ensure the well being of the soldiers and their families adding he expressed hope that this healing touch of the state will go a long way in helping the aggrieved family on one hand and securing their future on the other. Likewise, Bhagwant Singh Mann envisioned that it will also encourage the youth to join the Armed forces and Punjab Police to serve their motherland.

Chandigarh/Jalandhar, March 2 :

Amidst the ongoing decisive action against drug traffickers and illegal encroachments, Jalandhar Rural Police, in coordination with local authorities, have demolished unauthorized structures built on the encroached panchayat land in Khanpur and Mandi villages of Phillaur. The structures, unlawfully occupied by two individuals with a history of narcotics smuggling, were removed following due legal procedure.

 Divulging details to the media, Senior Superintendent of Police Jalandhar Rural Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh stated that the demolition drive was carried out following the request of the Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO) Phillaur, who sought police assistance for the removal of illegal encroachments. The action was directed against Jasvir Singh alias Sheera, son of Dalveer alias Bur, resident of Khanpur, and Bholi, wife of Rampal alias Rama, resident of Mandi, both of whom had illegally occupied village panchayat land.

As per official records, Bholi is a notorious drug smuggler and has been facing multiple cases under the NDPS act, including a 1.190 kg smack recovery in 2005, a 2 kg poppy husk seizure in 2015, and a significant quantity of drugs recovered in 2022. Similarly, Jasvir Singh alias Sheera has also been named in multiple cases, including one involving a commercial quantity of charas and intoxicated injections.

SSP Khakh said that the police, along with revenue and panchayat officials, ensured that the encroachments were demolished smoothly, with adequate deployment to prevent any disruption. Authorities confirmed that the land rightfully belongs to the gram panchayat and had been unlawfully occupied by the accused.

SSP Khakh reiterated that Jalandhar Rural Police will continue its crackdown on illegal encroachments linked to criminal networks, ensuring that no individual benefits from proceeds of crime or unauthorized occupation of public land.

He further urged citizens to report such illegal activities, assuring strict and swift action against offenders.

     SSP Khakh stated that local residents informed that these two drug traffickers would often intimidate and threaten the villagers.

 Meanwhile, Village Sarpanch of Khanpur, Paramjit Kaur and local residents commended the action of the Punjab Government against drug smugglers. “We welcome such measures by the Punjab government to eradicate drug menace from the state,” they added.

Chandigarh, March 2

Punjab Finance, Excise and Taxation Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema on Sunday proudly announced that since coming to power in March 2022, the AAP-led Punjab Government has implemented transformative changes with unwavering honesty and transparency, resulting in a consistent increase in its tax revenue year after year. He highlighted that this fiscal year’s net collection from GST, Excise, VAT, CST, and PSDT upto February reflected a growth rate of 12.10 percent compared to the same period of FY 2023-24, with an impressive 28.01 percent growth in net GST collection during February 2025.

Revealing this in a press communique issued here, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that this fiscal year has seen a continuation of the previous years’ trend, with a notable 13.39 percent growth rate in net GST, 14.43 percent in Excise, 5.10 percent in VAT, 17.03 percent in CST, and 13.65 percent in PSDT upto February compared to the same period in FY 2023-24. He said that the total net collection from these taxes upto February this fiscal year is Rs 38272.66 crore as compared to Rs 34141.36 crore during last fiscal year registering an increase of Rs 4131.30 crore.

Highlighting the substantial growth in GST revenue for the last month, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the net GST collection during February 2025 reflected a notable increase of Rs 506.26 crore. The net GST collection for February 2025 amounted to Rs 2,313.69 crore, compared to Rs 1,807.43 crore in February 2024. Additionally, he also mentioned the commendable rise in Excise revenue, with February’s collection reaching Rs 686.47 crore, an increase of Rs 30.47 crore from the Rs 656 crore collected in February last year.

Pointing out the initiatives taken to improve its own tax revenue, the Finance Minister said that the Excise and Taxation department has been achieving its goals through a two-pronged approach of broadening the GST base by running drives to bring unregistered businesses under GST and enhancing compliance among registered taxpayers besides extending every help to the honest taxpayers. He said that the department has launched the Bill Liyao Inaam Pao Scheme and sought the active involvement of school and college students to spread awareness among the younger generation.

Lambasting the previous Akali-BJP and Congress-led state governments for their inability to boost the state’s tax revenue, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said they lacked effective fiscal management and political will to tighten the noose around tax evaders. In contrast, Finance Minister Cheema reiterated the AAP-led Punjab Government’s unwavering commitment to honesty, transparency, and transformative changes, which have yielded remarkable achievements in tax revenue growth, ultimately strengthening the state’s tax revenue without burdening honest taxpayers.

Chandigarh/Ludhiana, March 1:

Reiterating the commitment of the state government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to clean ‘Buddha Dariya’, Local bodies minister Dr Ravjot Singh and Rajya Sabha MP Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal reviewed the project to rejuvenate ‘Buddha Dariya’ on Saturday.

Conducting a meeting with the officials at 225 mld Jamalpur STP on Tajpur road, local bodies minister Dr Ravjot Singh and Rajya Sabha MP Seechewal issued strict directions to take action against those dumping untreated waste or cow dung in the Buddha Dariya or sewer lines.

MLA Madan Lal Bagga, Mayor Principal Inderjit Kaur, Deputy Mayor Prince Johar, DC Jitendra Jorwal, MC Commissioner Aaditya Dachalwal among other officials of PPCB, soil conservation, irrigation department etc were present in the meeting.

Cabinet minister Dr Ravjot Singh and MP Sant Seechewal stated that the state government is making regular and serious efforts to rejuvenate ‘Buddha Dariya’. The public and industry should also support the government and administration, so that the goal could be achieved. The government or the officials are not against any industry, but no one can be allowed to dump waste in Dariya.

The civic body officials were directed to ensure lifting of cow dung from dairy complexes and dumping the same at designated sites. Further the officials were directed to expedite the process to hire a private contractor for door to door lifting of cow dung in dairy complexes.

MP Seechewal stated that this was the 8th visit of cabinet minister Dr Ravjot Singh to review the project to clean Buddha Dariya in the last two months. This shows the seriousness of the government towards the project.

Later, cabinet minister Dr Ravjot Singh and MP Sant Seechewal also visited Tajpur road dairy complex to take stock of the situation. Necessary directions were issued to the officials. Cabinet minister Dr Ravjot Singh also visited the site where ‘Bathing Ghat’ is being established on the banks of Dariya under the ‘Kar Sewa’ led by MP Seechewal.

Cabinet Minister Dr Ravjot Singh and MP Seechewal appealed to the public and industry to support the authorities in cleaning the Buddha Dariya.

Chandigarh, March 1:

Going onslaught against the illegal mining, Punjab Education Minister and MLA from Anandpur Sahib, S. Harjot Singh Bains, on Saturday, has issued a slew of directives including the immediate sealing of unregistered crushers and the installation of CCTV cameras at all registered sites, critical routes and hotspots within 15 days across the Rupnagar district.

S. Harjot Singh Bains directed the district authorities to seal all unregistered crushers immediately and there should not be any generator at the unauthorised sites. He also asked to ensure installation of high-resolution night vision closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras with 360-degree view at registered crushers, besides installing CCTV cameras on all critical routes and pathways, which could be used for transporting mining materials, as well as in areas identified as hotspots for illegal mining.

To increase transparency in mining operations, the Education Minister has also directed authorities to verify the records of past three months of those crushers against whom complaints were received. This verification must be completed within 15 days.

S. Harjot Singh Bains also directed to seal the Agampur Bridge area, where illegal mining activities were reported. He said that the area must be secured with barbed wires and the display boards should be installed with warning that trespassers will be prosecuted.

He also ordered all JEs and SDOs to ensure round-the-clock vigilance to prevent illegal mining activities, while emphasising holding district officials accountable for any negligence or collusion with illegal mining operators, regardless of their influence or political connections.

Contractors operating at all legal mining sites have also been strictly warned against engaging in any unfair practices. They are prohibited from exceeding their designated mining areas, he added.

The Education Minister informed that a team of experts from IIT, Rupnagar will conduct site surveys to verify compliance and identify any violations. Contractors found exceeding their authorised mining area will face severe penalties and legal action.

He said the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government has adopted zero-tolerance policy towards illegal mining. He stated that anyone found engaging in this illegal practice will face severe consequences.

CHANDIGARH, March 1:

A day after Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government has waged a decisive war against drugs “Yudh Nashian Virudh” to wipe out drugs from the state, Punjab Police on Saturday conducted a massive state-level Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) at identified drug Hotspots— the points of sale of drugs and psychotropic substances— across the state, leading to the arrest of 290 drug smugglers after registration of 232 first information reports (FIRs), informed Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here.

The four-hour long operation has also led to the recovery of 8.14 kg heroin, 1.21 kg opium, 3.5 kg ganja, 19 kg poppy husk, 700 grams Charas, 16,238 intoxicant tablets/pills/injections and Rs 8.02 lakh drug money.

The development came a day after CM Bhagwant Singh Mann asked the Commissioners of Police, Deputy Commissioners and Senior Superintendent of Police to make Punjab drug free state in coming three months. 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.

DGP Punjab Gaurav Yadav, who was personally monitoring the state-level operation, said that the CASO was conducted from 9am to 1pm simultaneously in all 28 Police districts of the state and Spl DGP/ADGP/IGP/DIG rank officers from Punjab Police Headquarters, Chandigarh were deputed in each Police district to personally supervise the operation.

          He said that the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab government has devised a 360 degree action plan to make the state drug-free completely, while also rehabilitating the drug users in the state. Police officers have been asked to trace the forward and backward linkages of all the cases being registered under the NDPS act and take strict action against those found in collusion with the drug smugglers, he added.

          Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla, who joined Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Deepak Pareek at Balongi in SAS Nagar, said that the CPs/SSPs were told to plan this operation in a meticulous manner in their respective districts and conduct raids at such areas, which have become shelter/safe haven for drug peddlers amid massive deployment of the police force. Punjab Police has devised a comprehensive strategy and such operations will be continued till the scourge of drugs eradicated from the state, he added. 

          The Special DGP informed that over 900 Police teams, comprising over 8368 police personnel, under the supervision of 233 gazetted officers have cordoned off as many as 369 drug hotspots and conducted 798 raids in such areas.

          He informed that police teams have checked over 2000 suspicious persons and taken preventive action against 27 persons, while, five proclaimed offenders (POs) have also been arrested during the operation.

          Other officers who went to the field includes Special DGP PSPCL Dr Jitendra Jain, ADGP Traffic AS Rai, ADGP Law and Order SPS Parmar, ADGP State Armed Forces MF Farooqui, ADGP Internal Security Shive Kumar Verma, and IGP Technical Support Services (TSS) Pradeep Kumar Yadav, IGP Intelligence Babu Lal Meena, IGP GRP Punjab Baljot Singh Rathore and IGP Gurdial Singh.

          Meanwhile, the state government has enforced a three-pronged strategy— Enforcement, Deaddiction and Prevention (EDP)— to eradicate drugs from the state.