Una, May 1
BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi today questioned whether the first family of the Congress should be involved in land deals.

Addressing mediapersons here, she said Robert Vadra's companies had not filed income tax (IT) returns since 2011, adding that the copies of the returns, posted on the website of the Union Ministry for Corporate Affairs, had been removed.

Reacting to an uproar over Narendra Modi repeating Kargil hero Capt Vikram Batra's words "Yeh dil mange more", Lekhi said martyrs were not dragged into politics when they were remembered, but politics came in when some people were barred from remembering them. She said martyrs belong to the entire nation.

Referring to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), on behalf of which Captain Batra's mother is contesting from the Hamirpur seat, Lekhi said Kamal Kanta Batra should know the stand of her party on Kashmir, the land for which her son made the sacrifice.

She reminded that AAP had called for a referendum on the separation of Kashmir from India. Besides, she said people with separatist ideologies such as Soni Sori, Binayak Sen and Sava Sachi Panda were part of AAP.

Responding to Congress spokesman Digvijay Singh's much-publicised love affair, the BJP spokesperson said a criminal case was being seen, but the domain lay with the husband of the woman. On the FIRs filed against Modi for the violation of the code of conduct, she said no rules were broken and the party would respond at an appropriate time.

Lekhi charged that the UPA governments had failed on all three fronts, internal, external and financial security of the country. She said during Independence, the rupee was at par with the dollar, but after 66 years, the rupee had devalued.

Earlier, addressing advocates of Una, Lekhi, a senior advocate of the Supreme Court, said some vested foreign powers were influencing the policies in the name of multinational companies, which can only be stopped by removing the Congress from power. She said only Narendra Modi could give a transparent and responsive government.

State BJP president and Una MLA Satpal Singh Satti, media cell in charge Hari Om Bhanot and district party president Balbir Bagga accompanied Lekhi.

Badsar (Hamirpur), May 1
Former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today said Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh was making statements under the influence of power and after May 16, the Congress government in the state would be dissolved.

Addressing election meetings at Bani, Dhangota, Jamali and Raili Jajari, Dhumal said, “The Congress government snatched free school uniform given to schoolchildren by our government, reduced quantity of free subsidised ration given to public and reduced LPG subsidy and the state government is trying to take credit for works done by our government.”

Dhumal said, "Due to weak policies of our government, the Chinese army intruded in our territory. Pakistan army personnel beheaded our soldiers and our government did nothing.”

Talking about the Kargil war, he said, “The country will always remember the sacrifices of our soldiers but Pakistan is once again flexing its muscles and India is facing humiliation due to a weak Congress government at the Centre.”

He said, “The state government has also failed to fulfil promises made during the last Assembly elections and cheated youth by indulging them in the intricacies of the skill development allowance.”

Kullu, May 1
The security in Kullu-Manali has been tightened ahead of Congress president Sonia Gandhi's proposed rally on May 4 at the historic Dhalpur Maidan.

SP, Kullu, Vinod K Dhawan said, “The tourist movement to areas along the venue will be temporarily suspended on May 4. Surveillance and security checks have been increased. Since it is a tourist season, the police will try to ensure minimum harassment to visitors.”

“We have beefed up the security,” said Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kanwar. A special protection group (SPG) team is likely to reach tomorrow to review the security arrangements.

Kullu Congress president Budhi Singh Thakur, zila parishad president Hari Chand Sharma, Sunder Singh, Bhuvneshwar Gaur and other members took stock of the situation.

• State Congress president Sukhwinder Sukhu launched a direct attack on BJP MP Anurag Thakur by stating that “Hamirpur mein hawa chal chuki hai, janta Anurag ko dhool chatayegi,” he said, while referring to the him as a person who is more visible in Mumbai and Dubai than in his constituency.
• He also targeted the BJP by stating that it had amassed money by collecting donations in the name of Ram-Sita and now collecting scarp for the statue of Sardar Patel.
• Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh exhorted people to support Congress candidate Rajinder Rana, who was on the verge of victory but required a slight push.
• The mismanagement at the rally was evident. Organisers did not even bother to cover the venue with shamianas as people sat in the scorching heat for more than two hours. No arrangement had been made even for providing drinking water.
• All senior Congress leaders too were critical of the poor arrangements at the rally venue. Many chairs remained empty as people found to it impossible to bear the heat.
• Chief Minister thanked people for sitting in this scorching heat after taking out time from their busy harvesting and marriage season
• Sukhu was liberal in showering praises on the Gandhi family formaking sacrifices

Una, May 1
Former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today ridiculed that the UPA, which has been responsible for scams worth more than Rs 12 lakh crore during the last 10 years, could even dream of coming back to power for the third time.

He addressed public meetings at Nari, Bihru and Bangana villages in the Kutlehar Assembly segment.

Dhumal said the NDA government had given a special industrial package to the country, but as soon as the UPA came to power, the package was withdrawn. He said corruption, inflation, unemployment and insecurity reigned supreme in the country during the past 10 years.

Dhumal said the charges of corruption against him would be probed by the CBI. He said the CM was levelling false allegations on the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) issue against him and his son Anurag Thakur to hide the non-performance of the Congress government.

Charging that the Public Distribution System in the state had collapsed, Dhumal said pest-infested pulses and rotten mustard oil were given to the beneficiaries, while the quantity of foodgrains had been cut from 35 kg to 10 kg per family. He said the cost of kerosene had also been hiked considerably.

Dhumal alleged the party in power was distributing money, liquor and drugs to woo voters. He also did not fail to mention that Anurag Thakur had performed exceptionally well as the MP and that rail extension work in Una was one of his major achievements.

Shimla, May 1
The Himachal BJP today accused acting Chief Secretary P Mitra of being biased and openly advising officers to toe the line of the Congress. The party urged the Election Commission (EC) to immediately remove him.

"We are of the considered view that the continuation of P Mitra as the Chief Secretary shall impinge adversely upon the conduct of free and fair elections in the state and in the light of the revelations that he has been openly advising officers to toe the political line of the Congress, we urge the Election Commission to immediately replace him by any other officer of proven integrity and apolitical standing," said state BJP general secretary Trilok Jamwal in a complaint to the EC.

Alleging that Mitra was actively aiding and abetting the use of official machinery for furthering the prospects of Congress candidates, the complaint said a "glaring instance was filing of the chargesheet in a court of law against Prem Kumar Dhumal and Anurag Thakur, the latter being BJP candidate from the Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituency in the case pertaining to the land leased to the HPCA and its use."

"Mitra, while functioning as Financial Commissioner (Revenue), instituted the complaint against our leaders alleging gross irregularities in the process of lease and now in his capacity as the Home Secretary, he himself revisited the investigation conducted by the police and has ensured that the police seeks prosecution sanction from the government for filing criminal cases against our leaders and candidates to tarnish their image during the ongoing election’s, the complaint said.

The Vigilance Bureau submitted a 600-page report to the government, seeking sanction to prosecute Dhumal and Anurag along with two to three IAS officers and this voluminous report was processed by Mitra within a few hours and submitted to himself as the Chief Secretary for obtaining prosecution sanction from the Governor, Trilok Jamwal said.

In a meeting convened by the Himachal IAS Officers Association, chaired by Mitra, he openly told the officers that it was the duty of the bureaucracy to carry out the wishes of the political leadership and warned the officers present at the meeting that they would face adverse consequences in case they adopted any resolution that might embarrass the Chief Minister during the elections, the complaint alleged.

Claiming that Chief Electoral Officer Narinder Chauhan was also present in the meeting, the complaint said these facts could be confirmed and verified from him. Such blatant attempts to politicise and intimate the bureaucracy while the election process is on is extremely disturbing and unacceptable.

Dharamsala, May 1
AAP candidate from Kangra Rajan Sushant, along with Shazia Ilmi, another senior AAP leader, today lodged a complaint against BJP candidate Shanta Kumar with the Vigilance.

In a political drama staged at Dharamsala, both leaders went to the Vigilance office despite knowing the fact that it was a holiday. They met a constable and handed over a copy of their complaint to him. He told the AAP leaders to come tomorrow to get a copy of their FIR.

The complaint carries similar allegations that were levelled by Sushant in a press conference two days ago in Dharamsala. It has been alleged that in 1992 when Shanta Kumar was the Chief Minister, the Vivekanand Medical Care Education Research Trust was set up. In Holta Mohal, Palampur, 419 kanals were transferred in the name of the Health Department and later in the name of the trust. The land was transferred against the report of then district collector, Sushant alleged.

He has alleged that the authorities under pressure of Shanta had committed the irregularities.

Sushant further alleged in 1998 when the Dhumal government was in power, the name of Vivekanand Medical Care Education Research Trust was changed to the Vivekanand Medical Research Trust (VMRT).

He said the VMRT now owned the property of about Rs 225 crore out of which Rs 25 crore was donations given by people of the state. However, despite that it was not giving any free service to the people. So the state government should cancel the lease and register a case against officials who were involved in allotment of land to the VMRT, Sushant demanded.

He also alleged that the land had now been transferred to the JP Sewa Sansthan that now had nine members. As per the constitution of the trust since JP now has a majority of members in the trust, they can misuse the land, Sushant alleged.

Shimla, May 1
Apple farmers are now training their guns on policymakers and local political big guns. It has turned into an “anti-hail nets versus anti-hail guns” affair in the apple belt. It has assumed political colour ahead of the Lok Sabha poll slated for May 7.

Apple farmers are apparently caught between the devil and the deep sea. The dilemma is whether to install anti-hail nets or the controversial anti-hail guns to fight what seems like a losing battle against the intermittent fury of hailstone and freak snowstorms to save their crop every year.

The debate has erupted among farmers divided along political lines. The government has given 80 per cent subsidies on anti-hail nets. The previous government had installed anti-hail guns more to garner farmers' support rather than to study their effectiveness in dealing with hailstone storms here.

The anti-hail guns at Bataar Galu and Deorighat are as good as defunct and remained un-operated since last year, said farmers. Only the Badaonghat gun is working. “It so happened that we did not experience hailstone for the last three years here," claimed Pramod Chauhan and Satish Chauhan, farmers from Kiari belt.

What has triggered a row here is that the then Horticulture Minister Narender Bragta, who hails from Kotkhai, had chosen three spots for hail guns, covering the major belts on the basis of vote banks and not on the basis of scientific data available on the hailstone zones, charged farmers.

The anti-hail guns apparently backfired on Bragta as he lost the last Assembly elections. The Ratnari-Baghi-Kalbog belt faced a hailstone storm in 2011 that destroyed both apple crop and trees. The farmers blamed it on the fallout of the anti-hail guns installed at Badaonghat and Deorighat.

Data obtained under the Right To Information Act revealed that about 40,000 gunny bags of fruit were procured from Ratnari-Baghi-Kalbog panchayats. The quantity is much higher than what is produced in Bataargalu (Jubbal) and Deorighat that covers the Nawar valley included in the Jubbal-Kotkhai constituency by the delimitation commission.

"The belt falls in the hailstone zone right below Hattu peak and guns should have been installed here to check its effectiveness," said Ashutosh Chauhan, an orchardist from Ratnari. "Had the guns been installed in clusters at a key point in the hailstone zone, the farmers would have got to know their effectiveness in dealing with the hailstorms," he reasoned.

Though horticulture officials are tightlipped, chairman of Ecohorts, Nandpur Laxaman Thakur, said the policymakers should think on scientific lines, taking advice of technical experts rather than the bureaucrats settling on what the politicians demand.

Bragta’s supporters are training their guns on the sitting Congress legislator Rohit Thakur, blaming the anti-hail nets for the damage to crop and apple trees. “The recent freak snow and sleet storm has put a big question mark on anti-hail nets in the high-altitude orchards when it comes to protecting the crop from hailstone," said Gyan Thakur, pradhan gram panchayat Ratnari.

There is no technical study on the effectiveness of the anti-hail guns here so far, said Dr Vijay Thakur, Vice-Chancellor, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan. To manage or control unusual events in nature needs a comprehensive policy, he added.

Chamba, May 1
The Himachal Swabhiman Party, to weed out corruption at the village level, will plead for giving legal rights to gram sabhas if its candidate from the Kangra Lok Sabha constituency wins the elections.

Addressing mediapersons here yesterday, Himachal Swabhiman Party candidate Baldev Raj Sood, who is contesting the elections from the Kangra Lok Sabha constituency, said the agenda of his party included the decentralisation of powers and bringing all political parties under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Sood put a question to the BJP and the Congress as to why they had failed to enact a strong Jan Lokpal for providing a clean administration and transparency.

“Himachal is endowed with natural resources, but even then power and cement produced in the state are being sold at exorbitant prices with a huge profit margin to benefit multinational companies,” Sood alleged. The implementation of new education and employment policies was also part of their agenda, he said.

Solan, May 1
The lack of extension of the Central package has become a major poll issue in the industrial areas of the state where investors are facing decline in production and profitability.

Since fewer investments have been witnessed after the lapse of the industrial package in March 2010, employment has also suffered as the existing units are either consolidating their operations or have put on hold their investment plans.

Though the state government has initiated measures such as simplifying permissions for purchasing land under Section 118 of the HP Tenancy and Land Reforms Act and introducing a single application form which is suppose to grant all clearances within 90 days to a new entrepreneur. But its impact is yet to be felt as investment has declined, said Anil Kumar, an investor from Nalagarh.

Investment was hit in Himachal as Jammu and Kashmir and other states in the Northeast continued to enjoy major benefits such as income tax and excise exemption even after 2010 and this has led major industries to shift their high value low volume products to their sister concerns in such state.

With the major industrial areas, Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN), Kala Amb and Paonta Sahib failing to get connected to the Railways, the investors said this was the biggest poll issue, said Vinod Khurana, president, Nalagarh Industries Association. He added that in the absence of proper upkeep of roads and bridges in the BBN area, one had to cut a sorry figure before foreign dignitaries who visited the units.

The Railway Ministry’s recent reply in Parliament to a question posed by Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur had added to the disappointment of the industry. The minister had stated that since the Planning Commission had not granted approval for undertaking expansion of 217 km connecting these industrial areas where funds worth Rs 3,745.62 had to be incurred, no action could be taken despite a survey.

Though the Centre had extended the transport subsidy scheme and the investment subsidy a few months ago as a consolation for the lapse of the package, the pending claims worth several crores on account of these two subsidies had failed to be received till now by the investors.

The Chikni Bridge which had collapsed in 2007 and forms a crucial link in the BBN area was yet to be functional and the inordinate delay in its construction was also an issue with the investors.

Hamirpur, May 1
Congress candidate from Hamirpur Rajinder Rana said today BJP leader PK Dhumal had been confined to Hamirpur and did not attend Modi’s rallies in the state.

Addressing election meetings at Ukhali, Maid and Sujanpur, Rana said, “Sensing the mood of voters in Hamirpur, Dhumal is not leaving the constituency and not even attending Modi’s rallies in the state.”

He said, “The BJP is now in a tight spot in the constituency and baffled BJP activists are resorting to using money and muscle power and allegedly attacking Congress workers.”

Targeting BJP candidate Anurag Thakur, Rana said, “He is trying to win voters with money power, but his boat has so many holes that it’s bound to sink this time.”

He said, “He had won last elections by misusing money and state power, while his father Dhumal was Chief Minister of the state. But instead of winning hearts of people, he remained busy in Mumbai and Dubai.”

Questioning the BJP candidate’s promise of starting a PGI-level hospital in Hamirpur district, Rana said, “His father when in power never thought of opening a PGI centre here, but now was promising to do so during the elections.”

He said, “BJP leaders have nothing much to tell people about their achievements and now trying to take credit for various schemes launched by the UPA government for benefit of public.”

Palampur, May 1
The man-monkey conflict and the challenge posed by stray animals have emerged as major poll issues in the ensuing parliamentary elections. Farmers raised the issues vigorously before political parties during election meetings and lodged a protest over failure of successive governments when it came to dealing with the challenges.

In lower areas of the state, farmers have left their fields uncultivated because of monkeys and stray animals.

In 2009, the BJP government initiated steps for sterilisation of monkeys in the state, but in absence of administrative will and owing to poor governance and financial crunch, the plan was abandoned. The Forest Department, that was assigned the job to set up sterilisation centres in the state, remained non-serious about dealing with the situation.

Inadequate staff without any infrastructure was deputed in this field which made matters worse.

It may be recalled that there are more than eight lakh monkeys and stray animals in the state. The gravity of the situation can be judged from the fact that 3,000 panchayats in the state have been affected.

In the past five years, 3,000 people were bitten or clawed by aggressive monkeys in the state, which resulted in the death of 50 persons.

Hamirpur, May 1
Still trying to find her feet on the unfamiliar path of politics she has chosen to tread, it is Kamal Kanta Batra’s firm conviction that if her son could lay down his life for the nation, she should also do her bit by trying to cleanse the system that is plagued by corruption and rot.

Though unwavering in her belief, 69-year-old Batra, mother of Kargil hero Capt Vikram Batra, is still trying to come to terms with the rigours of fighting an ailing political system. Leading a quiet life after retiring as a schoolteacher at her home in Palampur, she was convinced by Aam Admi Party (AAP) leaders to take the political plunge.

Accompanied by her husband GL Batra, also a retired teacher, the two can be seen silently campaigning on the streets of Hamirpur and other places, sans the paraphernalia of slogan-shouting supporters, fluttering flags and convoy of vehicles, accompanying other candidates.

Like any other day since she filed her nomination on April 16, the two leave their guest house at 9.30 am, accompanied by six volunteers in two vehicles. Clad in a yellow salwar-kurta and donning the trademark white AAP cap, she goes to shops and houses seeking their support for a better India.

“All that the Congress and the BJP have given you is false hopes and a trail of unfulfilled promises so it is time you choose a government which works according to your needs and not for their own political agenda,” she tries to convince voters.

There is curiosity in the eyes of people who come out of their houses and shops to look at the AAP candidate and her handful of supporters. The fact that she is a martyr’s mother, with Vikram Batra being a household name, evokes a lot of respect and admiration. Unable to take on campaigning for very long hours, the two return to their room at 1 pm to take a break.

“We read newspapers and watch television for two hours before starting the campaign again in the evening,” explains Kamal Kanta.

She again resumes campaigning without her husband who prefers to stay back in the room. This time it is in village Lamblu , about 10 km from Hamiprur town at 4 pm where she campaigns. There are about 10 persons who are accompanying her but she points out not go by numbers as people are scared to come out openly in support of AAP considering the might of the Congress and the BJP.

“Bhrashtachaar ka ek hi kaal, Kejriwal-Kejriwal,” is the slogan that rents the air. A few labourers, taxi drivers and residents of a nearby Dalit basti join the group, who are promptly given white caps. “We live just 10 km away from the district headquarters, but still not have electricity though a wooden pole was installed near our basti in1984,” says Subhash, who works in a meat shop.

She says there are many like him who want to teach the Congress and the BJP a lesson and AAP is a good alternative that Kejriwal has provided.

“I too feel that the sacrifice my son had made will go waste if we cannot save our country from corruption, price rise and absence of basic amenities to people,” she says.

“If you send me to Parliament, I assure you I will raise issues concerning you, but unlike politicians, I will not make any tall claims,” she says. On her journey back to Hamirpur, she says that she prefers roadshows where she can wave at the crowds from an open jeep and wherever need be, hop off to interact with people.

Accompanied by volunteers from the Delhi unit of AAP, she has a quiet dinner in a local hotel. The strategy for the next day is discussed as they decide to shift to Una for campaigning as the unit in Bilaspur has expressed its unwillingness to organise a roadshow. The roadshow by Lt Gen Panag (retd) and his daughter Gul Panag in Una, Hamirpur and Bilaspur have been the two big events of the party, which received a lukewarm response. They are hoping to get Arvind Kejriwal to campaign for Kamla Batra, but the plans are yet to materialise.

The couple retire for the day with plans to travel to Una early next morning.

Kangra, May 1
The subdivisional authorities today removed Congress party flags hoisted by Congress workers in this town, particularly in the Dharamsala Road area during the night as a part of their poll campaign.

The Congress workers had installed party flags on electric and telephone poles in different localities of the town in view of the maiden visit of Prof Chander Kumar, Congress candidate, to this town.

Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Kangra, Ajeet Bhardwaj was approached by some political parties, including the BJP, today. They complained that Congress party flags were installed on government property which was a violation of the poll model code of conduct and should be removed.

The Sub Divisional Magistrate directed Tehsildar Naresh Sharma to remove the Congress flags from the poles in the town with the help of the police. Naresh Sharma, along with a police party, moved in the town and removed the flags after videographing the violations.

Chander Kumar, who was supposed to address his first public meeting at 4 pm, did not reach the venue Nehru Chowk here even at 7 pm, but the authorities by that time had removed all the Congress flags from the poles. The Tehsildar said the government property could not be used for the party purpose and on the basis of the complaints he had been directed by the SDM to remove these.

Nurpur, May 1
Mining, despite a ban, in the Chakki rivulet in this subdivision bordering Punjab has been posing a threat to 12 gram panchayats, leaving local residents and environmentalists worried.

Once farmers of Khanni, Maira, Baduee, Baranda, Lodwan, Kandwal and Mohtli gram panchayats used to produce around 5,000 tonnes of foodgrain in a year by using the Chakki water for irrigation.

But now, illegal mining has turned their fertile fields barren leading to resentment among residents and farmers.

Residents of these gram panchayats have been living under constant threat of repercussions of mining.

As per Hoshiar Singh, general secretary of the Kangra District Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh and pradhan of the Khanni gram panchayat, said farmers of this border area were the worst sufferers as 4,000 acres of their fertile land had become barren due to mining.

He alleged that JCBs from neighbouring Punjab’s stone crushing units descended on the Chakki river at night for mining. He asserted that the passage area of flood water on 550-metre-broad Chakki riverbed had shrunk to 250 m due to mining which had aggravated the flood situation during monsoons. He underlined the need for curbing the menace.

Villagers of affected gram panchayats, who are against mining in the area, lamented that the underground water level in the area had dipped drastically.

The illegal mining has posed a threat to the environment and lives of villagers. Besides, the state exchequer is losing revenue of lakhs of rupees every year due to evasion of royalty and local taxes. Apart from this, the Chakki railway bridge at Kandwal is also facing the threat of illegal mining of the Chakki riverbed.

The railway authorities had taken up the issue with the state government several times but to no avail.

It is pertinent to mention that as per orders of the High Court, the mining of the riverbed has to be monitored after it increases a depth of 1 m, but JCBs had dug more than 2 to 5-metre ditches in the Chakki rivebed area.

Villagers of Upper Khanni gram panchayat, who had submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister in December against the unabated illegal mining, alleged that the current mining policy framed by the state government following the High Court order was being violated with impunity.

Palampur, May 1
The functioning of the state Revenue Department has come under scanner following the construction of a power project illegally on government land near Baijnath.

It is learnt that the power project has neither signed any lease deed with the state government nor has any letter of allotment been issued by the government for this project.

This information was supplied by the state government under the Right to Information (RTI) Act to RTI activist Pawan Purhoit of Baijnath. As per revenue records, no land had been allotted to the power company, which was executing the project on the Luni Khud near Baijnath. Land measuring 3.60 hectares with Khasra No. 1309/1249, which is in the possession of the company, pertained to the Himachal Government.

Meanwhile, it could not be known that who allowed the company to go ahead with the construction work without the allotment letter or lease deed.

Baijnath SDM Rigveda Thakur admitted that the lease documents of the company were yet to be finalised. He said there were other power companies in the Kangra valley, whose requests for the allotment of land were still pending with the government and the Luni power project is one of them.

However, he agreed that the construction work without the approval of the government could not be taken up.

The company remained in the news for playing havoc with nature and disturbing the fragile ecological balance in Dhauladhar ranges while executing a tunnel and a road to the reservoir site.

The area panchayat pardhan told this correspondent that because of the reckless cutting of hills, Deol village had suffered a big loss where hundreds of houses were damaged. He said villagers had come out on the roads to lodge their protest against the company, but nobody supported them and till date, no compensation was paid to the affected villagers by the company.

Besides, the road leading from the PWD to the village was damaged because of heavy landslides caused by cutting of hills and dumping of debris.

Shimla, May 1
Information Technology (IT) has brought a ray of hope for visually-impaired persons as new innovations in the IT sector can provide them access to jobs and open the doors for employment.

About 80 visually impaired persons from the state who participated in a workshop on the use of Information Technology organised by the Umang Foundation here recently were acquainted with the latest software enabling them to read, write and enrich their knowledge and skills.

National award winner for outstanding work on disability Prashant Ranjan (himself visually impaired), a member of the National Association of the Blind, gave demonstrations that made for easy grasp of the subject.

A smart cane equipped with remote sensors was a major attraction.

It has the capacity to sense obstructions while walking and guiding a visually impaired person to the right path.

The stick has an alarm bell connected with their homes, which can help them reach home safely.

Divya Sharma, a visually impaired girl pursuing her post-graduation from Panjab University who also participated in the workshop, said the computer was a great help.

Throughout a first division holder in academics, Divya, who studies on the laptop through talking software, is a versatile genius, guitar player, singer and poet.

Divya has become a part of the Radio Udaan started by visually impaired persons.

Chairman of the foundation Ajay Srivastav said the focus was now on the transfer of Information Technology to the visually impaired and on sensitising them and making them aware of the latest tools.

Fifteen angel players and talking watches were given to meritorious students who were visually impaired.

Shimla, May 1
The High Court has set aside the conviction awarded by the trial court to a life convict and acquitted him in a murder case. The court passed this order on an appeal filed by the murder accused challenging the judgment of the trial court whereby he was convicted to life imprisonment in a murder case.

The allegation against the accused was that he killed Sonu by gunshot on the night of June 2, 2006, due to some personal enmity when he was sleeping in the compound of his house at Sanjwan village. The accused was convicted on the basis of the statement of prosecution witnesses in which they stated they saw the accused, who was on crutches, holding a gun in his hands. Seeing them, he also threatened to kill them if they raised an alarm and fled from the spot.

Allowing the appeal, a Division Bench comprising Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Rajiv Sharma observed that “the trial court, in our considered view, has committed a grave error, illegality and irregularity in completely and correctly appreciating the testimony of prosecution witnesses. In fact, the court was duty-bound to frame points and then discuss the evidence, but simply reproduced the evidence and without reflecting any cogent, convincing and plausible reasons, has straightway returned finding of guilt of the accused, with regard to the charged offences and ordered the accused to serve sentence of imprisonment. Findings are unreasonable, based on no evidence”.

Kangra, May 1
Educational trips are a part of school’s pedagogy as they are expedient in providing practical knowledge to students and lead to their professional advancement.

Dr Manukonda Rabindranath Dean, School of Journalism, Mass Communication and New Media, said this on the culmination of the five-day educational tour to Chitkul in Kinnaur. The tour was organised by School of Journalism, Mass Communication and New Media, CUHP, in which 29 students participated. He said during the trip, the students produced an audio-visual travelogue, a short film, a photo feature and covered some news stories on the socio-cultural heritage of the tribal areas of Kinnaur district such as Chitkul, Sangla and Raksham. He said this was a self-learning process through which students would be able to get accustomed to audio-video production and also aspects of print media.

Faculty members Dr Archana Katoch and Kuldeep Singh were organisers. — OC