Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Tuesday expressed anguish over the losses incurred by people due to heavy Hailstorms in various pockets of Kupwara District and demanded adequate compensation to the affected on MSP rates.
While expressing concern over losses to standing crop in orchards and other standing crops in a number of villages of Kupwara district late last evening, Party’s Senior Leader Choudhary Mohammad Ramzaan and Member of Parliament Baramulla Muhammad Akbar Lone said the damage caused by a hailstorm in Kupwara and Handwara areas, Hafrada, Zurhama, Ladrawan, Alchizab, Manzgam, Kulmoona, Tarathpora, Marhama and Panzgam hamlets is immense.
They said that the hailstorm has dampened the hopes of people who were anticipating a good crop this year to make up for the losses of previous years but the rough weather condition has extinguished the hopes of farmers and orchardists.
“The weather furry witnessed by hailstorms and gusty winds has destroyed standing paddy crops in the hamlets. The weather vagary has defoliated and stripped crops of their precious produce well, hence destroying the months of hard work of our farmers. In addition to it the hailstorm has significantly caused fatal trauma to people and cattle at various places,” they added.
The heavy downpour besides impacting orchards, and paddy has also affected electricity transmission lines at various other places as well,” they said. Keeping in view the havoc, the severe weather played with the people’s crops and property, the divisional administration Kashmir, they said is expected to come to the rescue of the affected. “The district administration should immediately rush revenue teams to the affected hamlets of District Kupwara including Handwara to access the losses incurred by people especially the farmers and horticulturalists so that a proper compensation is worked out at an earliest and distributed among affected forthwith,” they said demanding that the compensation to the affected farmers and horticulturalists be given on the basis of MSP.
