After facing the fury of untimely rain in past one month, the severe hailstorm damaged the standing crops in Vraja, adding the woes in farmers’ lives. The majority of crops were destroyed in the hailstorm. The actual loss of the farmers couldn’t be ascertained. The hailstorm was so severe that it killed four persons including a woman, while 150 others were injured. Hundreds of pigeons and other birds were also killed, which also included three peacocks. The farmers were panicked. It was a huge loss due to the natural calamity which didn’t happen in last two decades.
It was around 3.30 p.m on Friday, the sky became dark then the hailstorm began with thunder. The base ball sized hail pounded on the roof, roads and fields of Vrindavan for two hours. The glasses of many vehicles were broken. The plastic water tanks out on the roofs were not spared either. I made holes in the water tanks. It was for the first time people saw such a big ice ball fell from the sky. The roads of Vrindavan were filled with the hails. Everyone was running haphazardly to find safer place. The visitors who came from Delhi and other places on weekends were also stuck in their cars as there was already traffic congestion in the town due to the weekend. Many poles, trees and signage boards carrying the advertisements fell down.
District Magistrate, Rajesh Kumar personally visited the villages where the maximum crops were damaged. He asked his subordinate officials to go to the villages and assess the actual loss. He said that a report will be sent to the government and the genuine compensation will be given to the farmers.
On Saturday, the commuters had to face harrowing time when the agitating farmers blocked the Yamuna Express way and the National Highway, throwing traffic out of gear. The farmers were demanding compensation for the damage by the hailstorm. Farmers were holding damaged crops and shouting slogans while blocking the roads.
