Rains, hailstorm damage standing crops in UP

RELIEF MEASURES Chief minister asks DMs to provide financial assistance to affected people

RELIEF MEASURES Chief minister asks DMs to provide financial assistance to affected people

HT Image

LUCKNOW Untimely rains accompanied by hailstorm and strong winds lashed several parts of Uttar Pradesh on Friday causing widespread damage to standing crops of wheat and mustard.

The freak weather was caused by western disturbances, said Met department officials.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath asked all district magistrates to assess the damage to crops, cattle and directed them to provide immediate relief to the affected people.

Districts like Pilibhit, Sitapur, Chandauli, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Bijnor and Jaunpur were severely affected by inclement weather conditions.

Ram Saran, a progressive farmer of Barabanki, said: “Standing crops of wheat and mustard have been damaged by the rains. Farmers who have sown potatoes will also be affected.”

While rains mad dry wheat moist and facilitated germination that harmed the produce, hailstorm caused physical harm to crops and reduces their growth, said farmers. The inclement weather was likely to affect the Mango producing belt in Lucknow also, they apprehended.

In Lucknow, hailstorm was reported from Old City areas and some rural pockets while heavy showers brought down the temperature in the evening. The showers also led to water-logging and disruption in power and telecom services in the city.

According to state meteorological department, Lucknow recorded a maximum temperature of 23.3 degrees Celsius, which was 8.4 degrees lower than normal while the minimum was at 17.4 degrees, 2.1 degree above normal.

Met department issued warning of hailstorm, rain and gusty wind conditions prevailing for another 24 hours in the state. JP Gupta, MET director, said the weather will be clear after Saturday.

28 killed in rain-related incidents in UP

LUCKNOW A total of 28 people, including women and children, were killed in various rain-related incidents in UP in the last 24 hours, officials said on Friday.

The state has been witnessing rain and thunderstorms since Thursday.

“In UP, 28 people have died in incidents related to rain and hailstorm in the past 24 hours,” information department Director Shishir said.

Those killed included six each in Sitapur and Lakhimpur Kheri, three each in Jaunpur and Barabanki, two in Sonbhadra and one each in Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Siddharth Nagar, Ayodhya, Chandauli, Kanpur Dehat, Mirzapur and Balrampur, he said.

In Sitapur district, two girls and a woman were among those killed, the officials said.

In one incident, a man, identified as Ram Prasad, 55, died after a tree fell on him during a hailstorm. He had taken shelter under a tin shed in Sidhauli police station area during the hailstorm, they said.

In another incident, a 15-year-old girl in Rampurkalan police station area died as a wall collapsed on her due to rains, police said.

Another 14-year-old girl was killed in Sadarpur police station area after a tree fell on her during heavy rains and thunderstorm, they said.

A man and his son were struck by lightning in Sandana police station area. The boy later died at the Community Health Centre.

A 40-year-old woman, identified as Daya, also died in Sandana police station area after a wall of her house collapsed on her due to heavy rains, the police said, adding that an unidentified person was also killed in a rain-related incident in the district.

The chief minister directed the district magistrates concerned to provide a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the kin of those killed in rain-related incidents, said an official. PTI