Sangrur: Officials visit rain-affected villages to assess damage

Sangrur, April 2

Preliminary estimates of the Agriculture Department show that heavy rain and hailstorm in various villages have caused 33 to 75 per cent damage to wheat crop on around 3,500 acres. The authorities will send their report to the government for adequate financial aid as the affected farmers have demanded quick relief.

On Friday, heavy rain and hailstorm lashed several villages, including Daska, Gidriayani and Hariau. At Daska, a link road turned white due to hail. Residents uploaded videos on social media to share their plight.

On Saturday, a team of officers visited Daska, Hariau and Gidriyani villages. Apart from interacting with affected farmers, they also visited the fields and undertook prelimilinary estimates of damage to crops.

“In some areas, hailstorm has caused 100 per cent loss to farmers. Many farmers, who had taken land on an annual lease of Rs 70,000 to Rs 75,000 per acre, have suffered heavy losses and are under debt. The government should conduct a quick assessment of damage to wheat and release financial aid,” said Dharminder Pashore, Lehra block president of the BKU (Ugrahan).

Sangrur Chief Agriculture Officer Harbans Singh said they visited various affected fields and collected information from farmers. He said the teams would also visit more fields in the coming days.

“As per preliminary estimates, hailstorm and rain have affected crops on around 3500 acres and the damage is between 33 per cent and 75 per cent. We will send a report to the government for necessary action,” he said.