Bhopal, Jan 29 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said on Wednesday that district administrations have been instructed to assess the crops damaged due to unseasonal rain and hailstorms in several parts of the state.

During an interaction with the media, Yadav stated that he has received information about the hailstorm damaged crops, and assured that the government will assess the loss and farmers will be compensated.

“There are reports of untimely rains, and I have instructed district administrations to conduct surveys of crops damaged due to hailstorms. I assure that the state government stands with the farmers,” Yadav added.

The Chief Minister’s statement came as relief for devastated farmers whose standing crops were destroyed after heavy rain on Tuesday. According to the report, the unseasonal rain with hail storm occurred in several parts of the state; however, districts under Gwalior-Chambal and Malwa-Nimar regions were the most affected.

Heavy rainfall and strong winds, along with large hailstones, severely affected wheat and gram crops. In the rural areas of Ujjain district, an intense hailstorm destroyed wheat, potato, garlic, onion and gram crops.

The massive crop loss proved unbearable for a farmer in Ujjain’s Tarana area, who allegedly died by suicide following the devastation of his fields. The deceased has been identified as Pankaj Malviya (30), a resident of Kheda Jamunia village, about 50 km from the district headquarters.

Following the incident, Congress MLA from Tarana, Mahesh Parmar, has demanded an immediate survey of the damaged crops. “Pankaj owned around six bighas of land, where he had cultivated wheat. The entire crop was destroyed due to the hailstorm. I have requested the government to conduct a survey of damaged crops as soon as possible,” he said.

Talking to IANS over the phone, Parmar further claimed that wheat and various other seasonal crops have been damaged in several villages in Tarana and other parts of the Ujjain district. He also confirmed that the Ujjain district administration has assured us of a survey.

–IANS

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