The recent rain disaster has left a number of farmers of Jalanpur village in Samrala high and dry. It seems that it will take several months for the villagers to recover from the trauma suffered by the monsoon fury this year. A number of farmers have suffered over-flooding, sand deposits and debris in their fields which has destroyed the newly transplanted paddy saplings and forced them to repeat the entire process by shelling almost double of what they spent during the initial sowing.
A number of farmers in these villages, who make ends meet with difficulty, have been completely let down by the natural calamity which has befallen them while their crop was still in its infancy. Incessant rains and over-flooding, it seems, has left the villagers heart-broken. More than 50 acres of paddy crop in village Jalanpur has been damaged.
Sukhdev Singh of village Jalanpur, who had to replant five acres of paddy, said that it was a horrifying experience to observe the newly planted paddy getting ruined. “We had no other choice but to replant the same by spending double the amount. The sapling sellers too seem to have become as heartless as the inclement weather as the saplings which were earlier bought for around Rs 1,000 an acre have to be purchased for no less between Rs 2,000 and Rs 3,000,” the villager added.
Similarly, Kulwinder Singh who replanted seven acres and Sarpreet Singh who replanted 10 acres rued that late sowing shall fetch them no dividends. “The entire exercise seems to be futile. Late sowing would take time to ripen, yield would be less and the window for the next crop shall be reduced further. It is easy to talk about replanting but making the entire process happen again is a real tedious task,” shared Sarpreet.
Narrating his tale of woes, Narinder Singh said: “I had taken four acres of land on lease this year and spent more than Rs 40,000 in sowing paddy. I am literally ruined as my entire crop has been damaged. I have no other option but to sit back and watch if the government comes to my rescue at some stage, the chances of which seem too bleak. Resowing in my case is not possible since I am already hard pressed for money. I have no money to pay for the saplings and labour either. My daughter’s marriage falls next year. Little did I know what future has in store for me,” he added.
“The government has failed to come to our rescue altogether. The administration has helped us by just visiting the flood-affected area and taking no constructive measures. Despite huge crop loss, no girdawari has been undertaken by any government official in our village. We have no hope at all from the government side. It is just mere hollow announcement and nothing more than that. The animal fodder too has been completely destroyed and we can foresee hard times ahead,” shouted Kulwant Singh, a frustrated villager whose crop has literally disappeared in the recent floods.
SDM, Samrala, Kuldeep Bawa, when contacted, said that girdawari has been ordered in the villages affected by incessant rains. “The farmers shall be duly compensated for their losses as per the government’s directions. Further, the saplings for paddy replantation are available free of cost with the agriculture department. The farmers who wish to get the same can contact us or the agriculture department. Each one of them would be attended to,” the SDM assured.
Source - https://www.tribuneindia.com
