Govt urged to form special teams to assess crop loss

Tribune News Service

Mandi, April 20

The Himachal Kisan Sabha has urged the state government to constitute special squads to assess losses caused to the standing crops due to unseasonal rain.

In a statement issued here, sabha leader Kushal Bhardwaj said farmers in Chautra, Drang, Sadar, Balh, Gohar, Dharampur, Gopalpur, Sundernagar and Karsog blocks of the district suffered heavy losses due to untimely rain and hailstorm.

He said nearly 50 to 80 per cent crops were destroyed in several panchayats of the Jogindernagar Vidhan Sabha constituency. He said the unseasonal rain had added to the woes of farmers already facing the problems of stray cattle and wild animals.

The sabha urged the government, the Revenue and the Agriculture Departments to constitute special teams to assess the exact loss caused to the crops by the unfavourable weather conditions.

The sabha urged the government to increase the compensation and relief amount and immediate provide the same to the affected farmers. Bhardwaj said the sabha had directed its block committees to visit the affected panchayats and evaluate the exact loss caused to the standing crops.

He also urged the Centre and the state government to take remedial measures to contain the stay cattle mnenace and wild animals otherwise they would launch a statewide agitation.