HEAVY RAIN AND HAILSTORM DESTROY PADDY CROP, KINNOW ORCHARDS

Raj Sadosh/Abohar.

Heavy rain and hailstorms in the village of Sitto Gunno and its surrounding areas have caused extensive damage to paddy crops and Kinnow orchards. Affected farmers have demanded a special official assessment (girdawari) of the damage and the disbursement of appropriate compensation. Villagers reported that the hailstorm spanned a width of approximately one kilometre; all fields falling within this path saw their entire paddy crop destroyed.

Farmers from Sitto Gunno—including Rajinder Kumar Punia, Mohit Kumar, Atmaram, Anand Kumar, Deepu Ram, Mana Ram, Raghubir, and Sushil Kumar—said that on the night of October 14–15, around 12:00 midnight- the Sitto Gunno area experienced intense rainfall, accompanied by strong winds and a hailstorm. This resulted in the complete devastation of their paddy crops and Kinnow orchards.

They explained that the hailstorm caused severe damage to the Kinnow orchards; many fruits fell to the ground. Meanwhile, the paddy crop was flattened, with the grain-bearing panicles scattered across the fields.

Farmers in the village of Sardarpura have also suffered heavy damage to their paddy crops. Most of them had cultivated the land on a lease basis, leaving them to face a double blow. They said that no administrative official has visited the site to assess the situation.