Red alert on rain damage
SOS to PM to save Punjab farmers
From Sarbjit Singh
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 17 — Unprecedented rain for the past 48 hours has added to the agony of the farmers of Punjab as the State Government sounded a "political and administrative red alert" apprehending a major economic disaster in the farming sector.

An alarmed state government has sent an SOS to the Prime Minister seeking immediate intervention of the Union Government for immediate remedial measures to cushion the crippling impact of what Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal described as an "unspeakable natural disaster".

Mr Badal, who spoke to Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee this afternoon, maintained that the process of revival of the economy of the country depended heavily on agriculture, the impact of disaster facing the farm sector of Punjab which is bound to be felt at the national level.

Mr Badal has urged the Prime Ministry for a "combination of immediate relief measures in the form of deferment of bank loans, and announcing of bonus to paddy and cotton growers in the state on the one hand and a long term economic restructuring to make the farm economy in the country less prone in future".

The incessant rains have virtually led to abandonment of the procurement operations throughout the State.

Hundreds of farmers were making desperate attempts to salvage whatever was left of their produce this season and carry it home as The Tribune team visited various grain markets in the State.

The farmers, The Tribune team was told, had no choice as the markets were virtually flooded in the absence of any drainage system at most of the places.

A farmer of Fatehgarh Sahib district was virtually in tears as a major bulk of his produce had been washed away. Earlier, he had suffered heavy damages in an unusual spell of weather during the past few months. He was virtually sieving puddles of rain water at a grain market after his heap was drowned in rain water.

Mr Balbir Singh Rajewal, a BKU activist, said that the farmers were meeting this fate as the Government agencies concerned had failed to take adequate remedial measures though it was well known that delay in the withdrawal of monsoon in the region could play havoc with the paddy.

At Khanna, the biggest grain market of the region, the situation was very grim. The farmers unmindful of the incessant rains were still out in the open trying to salvage their produce. They were making frantic efforts to remove their piles to safer and covered places.

Although at certain places, attempts were made to cover the stacks, but in the absence of any contingency plans at any of these markets, these were far from there. Because of tardy and slow lifting of procured crop, the damage was substantial. But at certain places, the produce which arrived some days ago was still to be procured by either the official agencies or the private millers.Even the paddy procured by millers had been damaged as it was also lying uncovered at most of the places.

The situation in the fields was no better. The harvesting operations had been severely affected. In fact, they had come to a virtual halt at almost every place.

Due to water logging in several pockets of the state, the paddy harvesting operations would be further hampered because of heavy presence of moisture in sub soil.This would delay the harvesting operations by a minimum of one week after the rains come to an end, a farmer said.

Reports from various parts of Punjab, Haryana and plains of Himachal Pradesh paint a grim picture. The cotton belt is also reeling under similar natural calamity. The picking of cotton has stopped.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Government in its follow-up drive, has set up a Special Control Room to monitor the situation on a regular basis.

Mr Parkash Singh Badal is also in touch with the Chief Ministers of other food grain producing States for a joint endeavour to help the farming community in distress facing its worst ever crisis. He wanted formation of a cartel of States so that the farming sector is not neglected and advance measures are taken to meet the natural calamities like the present one.

He also talked to Mr Surjit Singh Barnala, the Union Food Minister, to apprise him about the colossal loss suffered by the farming community due to unprecedented rains. He impressed upon the Union Food Minister to take up the matter with the Prime Minister and members of his Council of Ministers to ensure adequate relief for Punjab farmers.

Mr Badal held an emergency meeting of senior ministers and officials concerned to take the stock of the situation emerging in the state. He appealed to all Ministers, MLAs and senior functionaries to fan out and help farmers at this critical juncture.

3 die in rain-related mishaps
From Tribune Reporters

SHIMLA, Oct 17 — At least three persons have died due to heavy rain here today. Many roads have been damaged affecting vehicular traffic.

Reports said a couple, Heru Ram (45) and his wife Jalmu Devi (42) died due to a house collapse at Baikhelti near Theog.

The police was unable to undertake rescue operations because of continued landslide in the area. Their bodies were taken out of debris in the evening.

Another person was killed last night near the office of the Accountant General due to a head injury which he sustained by slipping on the road.

The Deputy Commissioner, Mandi, Mr Prabodh Saxena, said the Mandi-Kulu Highway was submerged under five ft of water near Hanogi of the Beas. Landslides have taken place on the approach road to Karsog and the Sarkaghat-Mandi road. The Chamba-Tissa road was also closed due to landslides.

The residents of the low lying areas in Kulu district were evacuated due to a flash flood in the Sarvari river.

Railway traffic remained suspended because of landslides between Kumarhatti and Kethlighat for some time, but was restored in the afternoon.

Many students of Dayanand Public School here had a miraculous escape as The Mall road near The State Bank of India caved in and the debris fell over the school building. Two cars were buried under the debris.

It has continuously been raining here for the past two days and the water level in the rivers was rising.

SOLAN: Vehicles plying between Rajgarh and Solan areas remained suspended since last night after heavy landslide near Maryog, near Giri Pul. Traffic between Arki and Solan had to be diverted via Subathu and Dharampur following landslides near Lavighat, about 12 km from here. The Vaknaghat-Delgi road was blocked at over three places.

Landslide on the Shimla-Mandi-via-Darlaghat road caused suspension of traffic, in which hundreds of trucks were stranded for over two hours, near Darlaghat.

MANDI: Hundreds of tourists have been stranded here as the National Highway 21 in under six-ft deep water of the Beas beyond Hanogi Mata Temple towards Kulu.

The gates of Pandoh Dam had to be opened as the water level rose high in the lake. BBMB authorities here contacted DCs of Mandi and Kangra and requested them to warn the people living near the banks of the Beas to move to safer places.

Haryana: Standing crops damaged
From Vimal Sumbly
Tribune News Service

HISAR, Oct 17 — As if the problem of waterlogging was not enough to damage the standing crops of paddy and cotton in and around Hisar, the continuous rains for the past 24 hours added to the woes of farmers. Not only have the current rains damaged the standing crops, but the paddy lying in open in different granaries has also been affected.

Scientists at CCS Haryana Agricultural University pointed out the unseasonal rain might cause major damage to the paddy and cotton. Both these crops are in the final stages of harvesting. Prof Kuldeep Singh Dhindsa, a senior scientist in the university, said due to the heavy rains the grains from the paddy plants standing in the fields might fall and the crop itself can get rotten. According to rough estimates, at least 15 per cent of the paddy crop can get damaged. Besides, the damp soil will also lead to difficulties in harvesting the crop.

According to Prof M.S. Kuhad, Head of the Department of Soil, the basmati variety of rice may lose flavour.

The cotton crop, which has already been hit by the waterlogging, will face maximum damage. As this is the prime time for plucking cotton flowers, the rains besides damaging the crop may delay its harvesting.

Scientists pointed out the rains may also delay the sowing of oilseeds. At some places, oilseeds may be needed to be sown a second time since too much moisture in the soil will prevent germination.

Particularly in the Bhiwani and Mahendragarh region, only the oilseed crop is mostly cultivated. According to Dr L.R. Jorarh, who recently returned from the Mahendragarh area after distributing quality seeds the farmers were sowing oildseeds on a large scale. Due to the untimely and unseasonal rains it might get delayed. Mostly, the oilseeds are sown till October-end.

Dr Jorarh pointed out in Mahendragarh efforts were being made during the past three years to bring more area under cotton cultivation. But due to the vagaries of weather during the past two years, 80 per cent of the crop got affected.

The large quantity of paddy lying in open in various granaries may also get affected by the rains. According to official estimates, about 65,000 metric tonnes of paddy has reached various granaries in Hisar, Sirsa, Fatehabad and Jind. Most of the grain is lying in the open. The continued rains may cause major damage to it.

The scientists pointed out last year also besides the delay in sowing of oilseeds, wheat sowing had also got delayed due to the untimely rains. They said in Narwana, Gohana, Sonepat, Kaithal and Rohtak, where the problem of waterlogging is already prevailing, the rains might delay the sowing of wheat once again.

However, the scientists said the rains may prove beneficial for gram cultivation. About 24 per cent of the dry land in Haryana may be brought under oilseed and gram cultivation now.

Prof Yogender Singh Malik and Dr Vinod Batra of the Department of Vegetables say the rains will also delay the sowing of potato, peas and other vegetables.

The continuous rains during the past 24 hours have brought down the temperature abruptly and a mild cold breeze has already started blowing here. The roads, lanes and bylanes were also damaged and it was difficult to move out. Electric supply and telecommunications were also affected.

First bollworm, now rain hits cotton crop
Tribune News Service

BATHINDA, Oct 17 —Widespread rain for two days in Punjab on October 15 and 16 has damaged the "white gold" (cotton).

Over 25 mm rain which has hit the cotton belt of Punjab comprising Mansa, Ferozepore, Faridkot, Muktsar, Moga and Bathinda districts in the past two days has shattered the 'dreams' of the cotton growers already under heavy debt.

According to information gathered the rain accompanied by the strong wind has led to the shedding of open fruits of cotton and hampered cotton picking operation. The rain has also played havoc with flowers of cotton plants.

Mr A.S. Randhawa, Director, Agriculture, Punjab, told The Tribune that he had been touring the state to assess the loss of crop due to untimely rains.

He said that earlier the Agriculture Department was expecting the production of 15 lakh bales of cotton from an area of over five lakh hectares in the cotton belt of the state. The assessment was revised to 12 lakh bales after the rains and bollworm attack in the month of September and now it had again revised to 10 lakh bales.

He said that he would submit a report of crop loss to the state government after touring the entire state. He expressed helplessness of the Agriculture Department to check the loss being caused to the farmers by natural calamities.

However, private cotton traders after revising the estimates of production of cotton after the recent rains said that the production would be less than the last year's of seven lakh bales.

They said that major chunk of the cotton had been affected quality-wise and farmers would find it difficult to sell their produce in the market.

The cotton growers of Punjab, who have become frustrated after the repeated failure of crop for the sixth consecutive year, had suffered loss of more than Rs 1000 crore this year due to loss of cotton crop, the traders said.

Mr Kattar Singh Jeeda, president, North India Cotton Growers Association, said that within a radius of 100 km of Bathinda, there used to be production of 20 per cent cotton of total production of the country and now the Punjab was fast losing place of pride in cotton production in India.

Mr Ashok Kapur, vice-president, North India Cotton Association Limited said that no trader from outside Punjab was coming to purchase raw cotton here as the estimated production was lower than expected. He said that even trading in the cotton had come to a halt after these rains.

Disappointed over first attack of drought on cotton plants, then rain and then bollworm attack and then again of rain, the farmers have stopped going to fields to protect the crop as their repeated sprays done on cotton crop have been rendered ineffective by untimely rains. They now are pinning hopes on the rain god.

Untimely rains have also affected harvesting of paddy in the state as considerable chunk of paddy crop was still standing in the fields to be harvested. The rains would delay the harvesting and could also lead to the discolouring of paddy.