Compensate affected farmers

The inclement weather conditions in Jammu and Kashmir in the last 24 hours has brought misery to the people as the houses, vehicles and crops got damaged in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district while the pivotal roads were also closed for the vehicular movement. While the weather conditions have improved in Jammu and Kashmir, there has been extensive damage in the crops due to the inclement weather conditions, causing worries among the farmers, who are apprehensive of huge losses. A severe hailstorm and “cyclone-like” winds swept through Kulgam district in south Kashmir Monday, causing widespread damage to apple crops in several villages. The storm, which lasted from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM, brought gusty winds of up to 88 km/h, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. A tentative village-wise damage report by Horticulture reveals that 15 to 25 percent of the fruit crop has been damaged in various villages. The affected areas include Nillow, Sehpora, Pariwan, Arreh, Awhatoo, Odura, Gadihama, Bumrath, K Hallan, Okey, Mohammad Pora, Mohipora, Tengbal, Khee, Jogipora, Katrasoo, Kadder, Check-e-Hajan, Dardkote, Sofipora, and Akipora. Since the losses were being assessed by the concerned department, there has been a demand from the farmers to the authorities to provide compensation to the farmers. The concerned officials at this juncture need to assess the losses at an earliest so that the necessary measures are taken in this regard to provide some sort of relief to the affected farmers.