Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday inaugurated projects worth Rs 368 crore in Chandigarh. He was here at the Chandigarh College of Engineering and Technology.

Shah also handed over appointment letters to more than 700 newly-recruited police personnel – ASIs and constables.

The projects inaugurated today included an extension of the Himalaya Boys hostel in Punjab Engineering College (PEC), Sector 12, extension of workshop block in Central Polytechnic (diploma wing) in CCET, engineering department in Sector 26, construction of administrative Block-C in CCET-26 (degree wing), sewage treatment plant at Diggian, augmentation of the existing STP Plant at Raipur Kalan, augmentation of the existing STP plant at Raipur Khurd.

He also laid the foundation stone for the sewerage treatment plant-cum-effluent treatment plant, engineering department, Government High School at Sarangpur, and Government High School at Karsan.

Speaking on the occasion, he said two days ago, the Lok Sabha passed the three criminal justice laws — the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill. This, Minister Shah said, was a landmark achievement. “We wanted that the Opposition should also have played a constructive role when these Bills were passed, but they were busy doing mimicry of the chairman of the House.

He said that in bringing about these new bills, they spoke to a cross section of experts, including bar associations, lawyers, jurists, professors and then these bills were introduced in the parliament after thorough introspection. “But the Opposition did not respect our efforts and instead indulged in petty politics,” he added.

“I am sure after these new Bills, no criminal case in India will hopefully take more than three years,” Home Minister Shah said.

“In the times to come, we are aiming at developing connectivity and software so that right from the police station to DGPs office, FSL, Jails, prosecutor and secretariat is so connected that the access to information is at a press of a button,” he said, adding that “today is December 22. And I am sure that by December 22, 2024, all the eight union territories will be provided with software, connectivity, and human resources to ensure that the new criminal justice system takes off smoothly”.