Hailstorm plays havoc with wheat crop in Sirsa

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Sirsa, March 29

Hailstorm damaged wheat crop spread over hundreds of acres in villages of this district on Sunday evening.

Farmers in Jhorarnali, Kelnia, Dhanor, Ahmedpur, Saharani, Abootgarh, Sultanpuria and adjoining villages have suffered extensive damage.

There’s been a complete damage to crops spread over 2,000 acres in Jhirarnali and Kelnia villages, 1,500 acres in Dhanoor and more than 1,000 acres in Saharani, farmers said.

Jhorarnali resident Surjeet Singh claimed hailstones were 300 gram in weight. To prove his point, he said: “My plastic chair developed holes because of hailstones.”

Farmers met the district authorities here to demand compensation. They said Deputy Commissioner Nikhil Gajraj had promised them early survey of the loss.

State Congress chief Ashok Tanwar, meanwhile, today visited villages affected by hailstorm and met affected farmers.

He demanded compensation of Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 per acre. “I will submit a report to Congress president Sonia Gandhi. The party will mount pressure on the BJP government to compensate farmers,” Tanwar said.

He said the Congress was going to organise a “kisan rally” in Delhi and, for that, Sonia had called a meeting of Congress presidents and former CMs of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and other states.

Former minister Ranjit Singh, who contested the last two Assembly elections from Rania, where the damage has been the maximum, has demanded compensation of Rs 30,000 per acre.