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Hailstorm crashes mango dreams

The trees which were in full bloom till Friday evening were bare by Saturday morning
Last Updated 17 May 2009, 18:19 IST

Most of the mangoes have fallen down and have been damaged. Apart from mangoes, other horticultural produce have also been damaged in the hailstorm, combined with rains.

A lot of mangoes have been damaged in H Nallapalli, Panasamakanahalli, Unikili, Hebbata and Kethaganahalli villages.

The mango trees which were brimming with mangoes till Friday evening, were ‘bare’ by Saturday morning. The mango growers who had pinned their hopes on earning a good income this time, were in for a rude shock. At some places, the mango trees have been broken and uprooted.

Gusty winds

“Friday evening saw one of the most gustiest winds ever. The mangoes fell down under the pressure of the winds. Several trees were uprooted. Probably, it was one of the rarest sights I have ever seen in my entire life I have spent in the fields,” expressed Venkatalakshmamma, a farmer woman in H Nallapalli village. “The winds were blowing so heavily that I almost fell down unable to stand firmly,” she added.
Another mango grower Narayanswamy expressing his disappointment said, “This time, there was a good yield. I thought, finally our problems would be solved. All the loans would be cleared and I would be getting a good income. The sudden appearance of strong winds and hailstorm brought my dreams crashing down. Now I do not know what to do?”, he said.
Says another farmer N Krishnegowda, the losses incurred in the cultivation of tomatoes would be substituted by the cultivation of mangoes. Now, everything was gone with the wind, he expressed.
Various agricultural and horticultural produce, including tomatoes, maize and other crops which were cultivated in the fields situated on the outskirts of Srinivaspur, have been destroyed in the Friday hailstorm.
 The situation of the farmers is so worse that the produce which was almost ready to yield income has been cruelly snatched away from their hands. This is the second such instance within a month’s span wherein, the farmers have been reeling under the destructions caused by the nature.

Compensation

The farmers who have suffered huge losses would have been ready by this time to submit their applications seeking compensation for crop loss, from the  officials concerned. But since, most of the officials are busy involved in the counting of votes, they were unable to assess the crop loss, immediately.
District general secretary of the Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha P R Suryanarayana has urged the Government to sanction a minimum amount of Rs 40,000 to the mango growers who have suffered huge losses due to the Friday evening’s hailstorm. On the earlier occasion, when the mango growers suffered huge losses due to the hailstorm, an amount of Rs 10,000 was released.
The eligible beneficiaries should be identified and the amount should be distributed to them. The compensation amount should not go into the wrong hands and the affected people should be benefited from the Government’s aid, he appealed.

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(Published 17 May 2009, 18:14 IST)

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