Bari/Binjharpur: A thunderstorm destroyed crops over 8,000 hectare in Bari and Binjharpur blocks of Jajpur district and claimed the life of a three-year-old boy Friday evening.
The deceased was identified as Bapun Munda, son of a daily wager Kalandi Munda, of Keonjhar. The incident occurred when boy had taken shelter under a cabin while the storm was lashing the area. A huge tree got uprooted and fell on the cabin, killing the boy. Sudarshan Das, a farmer of Bari, was injured after being hit by hailstones.
The storm pushed the farmers into distress as their crops suffered extensive damage. Green gram, watermelon and vegetable crops over 6,000 hectare were destroyed in Binjharpur block, assistant agriculture officer Raghunath Jena said.
Tehsildar Bijay Kumar Mohanty and additional tehsildar Chakradhar Padhi visited the affected farmlands Saturday and took stock of the situation.
The farmers had borrowed from various sources to raise the crops and were expecting a good harvest. Many farmers were yet to receive financial assistance for the loss they had incurred during cyclonic storms Hudhud and Phailin. However, Friday’s storm dashed their hopes.
Bhumiputra Chasi Sangathan, a local outfit, called an emergency meeting at Dargha Square Saturday and submitted a memorandum to the state government demanding compensation for affected farmers, its president Fakir Charan Singh said.
According to sources, farmers of Rampur, Aliabad, Ratnagiri, Amathpur, Swainkhanda, Golakunda Anyaspur, Madhusudanpur, Angal and Bodua had cultivated green grams, black grams, vegetables, sugarcane and banana over 2,000 hectare of land. The crops were completely damaged by the storm.
Besides, over 2,000 banana plants of Padan Kar in Atira Naupada village were destroyed.
Agriculture officer Jajati Keshari Jena said a special team will visit the affected farmlands Monday and make an assessment of the loss. PNN
