Mumbai: Farmers in Maharashtra were hit badly after unseasonal hailstorms took down standing crops. A whopping 1.25 lakh hectares were affected due to the hailstorm. Five person lost their lives as they were caught in the deadly hailstorm.
11 districts in drought-prone Marathwada and Vidarbha were hit. The State administration has begun the process of assessment and panchnamas. Since hailstorms come under the category of natural disasters, insurance companies have been directed to provide aid to the affected farmers.
Meanwhile, the issue has started getting political overtones. Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray is learnt to have told his party cadre to help the affected farmers.
“Preliminary assessment in Marathwada and Vidarbha has shown that crops on 1.25 lakh hectares have been affected due to the hailstorm. The affected crops include jowar, wheat, vegetables, and fruits like oranges and bananas,” an agriculture department official said.
The agriculture department officials will conduct detailed panchanamas of the fields, along with officials of the revenue department. Thereafter, the exact extent and nature of losses will be known. Officials said that a comprehensive report about the loss of property, crops, cattle, human life, will be submitted to the State government.
In Amravati, wheat and fruits on 26,600 hectares area were destroyed due to the hailstorm. In Buldhana, Washim and Akola, 32,700 hectares, 8,500 hectares and 4360 hectares of land have been found to be affected respectively. These estimates have been given by the State’s agriculture department.
On Sunday, five persons lost their lives due to hailstorms. Eyewitnesses said that the ice balls were the size of large lemons. Many standing crops were destroyed in the hailstorm.
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