Ramban, May 26: National Conference leader and district president Ramban Sajjad Shaheen on Friday expressed anguish over the losses to farmers due to heavy hailstorms “that lashed swaths of peripheral areas of Banihal”. He demanded immediate relief for the affected families.
Shaheen in a statement said that heavy hailstorms have in particular affected various hamlets including Mahoo, Mangit, Trigam, Kutji, Sarachi and some other villages in the higher reaches of the district.
“The unusual spell of rain accompanied by gusty winds and hailstorms lashed many parts of Banihal on Thursday evening causing widespread damage to orchards particularly maize and other crops. The maize and vegetable growers bore the brunt of nature’s fury for the second time during the month after witnessing similar devastation caused by nature’s fury a few weeks ago,” he said
The hailstorm has significantly caused fatal trauma to people and cattle at various places, he said, adding that the heavy downpour has impacted orchids, shrubbery, and electricity transmission lines at various other places as well.
Keeping in view the havoc, the district administration should immediately rush revenue teams to the affected hamlets of the district to access the losses incurred by people, especially the farmers and horticulturalists so that proper compensation is worked out at the earliest and distributed among affected forthwith, Shaheen said. He demanded that the compensation to the affected farmers and horticulturalists be given on the basis of MSP.
