Urges him to provide relief for fruit destroyed by hailstorm
Pattan: Unseasonal thunder showers and hailstorms left behind a trail of destruction, levelling standing crops across north Kashmir in the month of April with the Fruit growers appealing the administration to provide relief.
According to reports, “Horticulture and Agriculture crops including Orchards and Mustard oil fields took the brunt of sudden precipitation in various areas of North Kashmir like, Baramulla, Sopore, Pattan, Rafiabad, Tangmarg, Sangrama, Sheeri and other peripheral areas were fruit industry suffered heavy losses.
The unseasonal rain accompanied by high speed winds that swept through the entire agricultural belt of Baramulla district damaged standing crops like wheat and rapeseed-mustard, according to reports here. Heavy loss to crops had already been reported from parts which experienced a hailstorm.
The hailstorm had completely ruined his 15-acre wheat crop, Mustard oil fields and Orchards. The hailstorm had bent the stems and caused wheat spikes to break off, he added.
Thousands of farmers from several Tehsils, including Sangrama, Nihalpora, Wagoora, Kreeri, Pattan, Tangmarag, Rafiabad, Sheeri and Sopore have suffered maximum damage of crops due to the rain, according to a recent survey of the agriculture department as well as the revenue department.
However reports from many areas also suggest that many culverts and bridges were washed away by heavy rains across the north Kashmir, including Kupwara and Bandipora district.
Late the administration said, farmers would be assisted with reparation through direct compensation to be provided to them by revenue department on the basis of their actual loss.
The survey to assess the damage to crops is already under way after Sunday’s rain and hailstorm. Farmers will be given some compensation on the basis of actual losses in their fields, official said.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, Bashir Ahmad Khan also visited many areas of the district Baramulla to take stock of the situation.
Many families were also evacuated from Panzipora, Haritaar, Rakhi-Hygam, Alibagh, Trikolbal, Hanjiveera, and Agrikalan, where boats were also distributed among the locals in order to evacuate them from the inundated areas and facilitate their movement.
Concerned farmers have appealed administration to provide them relief as they have suffered losses on large scale.
