‘Fruit crops over 1,435 hectares damaged by floods, hailstorm in IIOJK’
Srinagar: The authorities have said that fruit crops spread over a total of 1,435.6 hectares of land were damaged across occupied Jammu and Kashmir due to recent floods and hailstorms.
According to Kashmir Media Service, this includes 846.2 hectares affected by floods in three South Kashmir districts and 589.4 hectares damaged by hailstorms in fourth one- Shopian.
To a question by senior Congress leader Tariq Hameed Karra, the authorities said the flood-related damage was reported from three districts of South Kashmir — Pulwama, Anantnag, and Kulgam.
The reply stated that 202.67 hectares of fruit crops were affected in Pulwama, 46.131 hectares in Anantnag, and 8 hectares in Kulgam.
As per the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) norms, only farmers who suffer losses exceeding 33 percent are eligible for compensation.
On horticulture losses, the authorities said hailstorms at various intervals this year in Shopian district damaged crops over 589.4 hectares, causing losses worth Rs 51.43 lakh. “Out of this, Rs 47.28 lakh has already been released by the deputy commissioner in favour of 2,036 families, while the balance Rs 4.15 lakh has been processed,” they added.
