Farmers in Pataudi suffer heavy losses due to rain, asked to apply for compensation

They said that water from Aravallis, which a few years ago would flow towards Sultanpur lake, gushed into their fields—spread over 500 acres of agricultural land—causing heavy losses to the planted crops

Residents of several villages in Pataudi, particularly Janaula, Janaula ki Dhani, Narhera, Kumbawas and adjoining villages, said on Monday that they suffered heavy losses due to the water logging caused by incessant rain in the past four days.

When asked about the matter, Gurugram deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav said that the farmers should report the losses caused to their crops within 72 hours on the e-fasal shatipurti portal, launched by the state government to provide fair and transparent compensation to farmers. (HT Photo)

They said that water from Aravallis, which a few years ago would flow towards Sultanpur lake, gushed into their fields—spread over 500 acres of agricultural land—causing heavy losses to the planted crops. The excess rainwater, which until a few years ago would flow in the form of a seasonal river called Indori, is now blocked by construction, leading to water logging, they added.

Gajraj Singh, sarpanch, Janaula, said that water from the Aravallis has been overflowing into their village every year ever since construction in the region started increasing, but this year the volume was so high that it damaged the crops. “There was around three feet of water in the fields, damaging crops such as methi (fenugreek), palak (spinach), bajra (pearl millets), and gainda (marigold) flowers. We want the government to announce compensation for the farmers,” he said.

To be sure, a majority of farmers in villages such as Kumbhawas, Janaula, Janaula ki Dhani and Narhera are small to medium farmers with an average land holding of around one or two acres. The farmers primarily grow vegetables, millets and flowers to be sold in the wholesale markets of Pataudi and Gurugram.

Sonu Yadav, a farmer, and a resident of Janaula ki Dhani said, “The farmers in these villages have lost around ₹2 lakh to ₹3 lakhand they need help from the government.”

When asked about the matter, Gurugram deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav said that the farmers should report the losses caused to their crops within 72 hours on the e-fasal shatipurti portal, launched by the state government to provide fair and transparent compensation to farmers. “The government has launched a portal for farmers to submit the details of their land and crop losses. The applications for compensation can be submitted directly on the portal,” he said.

The financial commissioner and additional chief secretary, Haryana, revenue and disaster management department issued a separate direction directing all deputy commissioner to ensure that the applications submitted by farmers regarding crop loss are verified within seven days of submission.