Windstorm wreaks havoc in Fazilka’s Jalalabad, rice mills damaged

Rice mill owners who were already struggling due to the Covid-19 pandemic said the damage was another setback

A strong windstorm wreaked havoc in Jalalabad, a sub-division of Fazilka, on Thursday night.

Damaged rice mills in Jalalabad in Fazilka on Friday. (HT Photo)

The gusty winds damaged around six rice mills, including KG Rice Mill, ML Rice Mill, Kissan Solvex and Midda Industries.

Sahil Midda, a rice miller, said, “The mills’ boundary walls fell, a portion of the building collapsed in at least two rice mills and machinery and stock were damaged.”

Many boundary walls fell during the windstorm on Thursday night. (Representative Image/HT  )

Rice mill owner Sumit Aggarwal said, “The sheds were blown away around midnight. However, no loss of life was reported.”

“We were already struggling due to the pandemic and the windstorm has worsened the situation,” said mill owner Rajesh Kumar.

An insurance company’s senior official, on condition of anonymity, said, “We have received intimations from different rice mill owners in Jalalabad area about severe loss to their properties following last night’s windstorm.”

The building and machinery of rice mills was damaged in the storm on Thursday. (HT Photo )

“The exact value of loss can be revealed only after an assessment is conducted,” he said.

Repeated attempts to contact the Jalalabad sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) proved futile.