Hailstorm lashes district

Tribune News Service

Patiala, February 7

Hailstorm lashed Patiala and its adjoining areas, damaging crops in Rajpura, on Thursday. The downpour brought down the mercury as cold winds swept the district. While farmers in Patiala said the rain was good for the crop, those in Patran and Rajpura claimed damage due to hailstorm. 

The minimum temperature in the city was recorded at 12.9 degree Celsius while the maximum stood at 17.7 degree Celsius. According to the Meteorological Department, the city witnessed 12.6 mm of rainfall  since yesterday night.

While the city did not suffer major waterlogging, traffic was disrupted at major intersections and locations.

Hailstorm in Rajpura, meanwhile, took the residents by surprise. Shiv Kumar, SDM, Rajpura, said, “Though, no damage was caused by hailstorm in Rajpura, we are yet to receive reports from villages. We have directed officials to inform us of any such development.”

Jagseer, a farmer from Kalyan village, said the rain was favourable to our crop. Unlike hailstorm in Rajpura, rain was not heavy. It should not rain excessively from now on as it could harm the crop, which is about to ripe.” 

Chief Minister orders Girdawari

Officials of the district administration said Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had ordered girdawari. Shaukat Ahmed Pare, Additional Deputy Commissioner, said, “The Chief Minister has ordered girdawari. We have sent the orders to all SDMs in the district.”