R S PURA, Nov 3: Senior Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party leader Mohammad Arif on Saturday visited several areas of RS Pura and Suchetgarh to assess the extensive damage caused to paddy crops by recent hailstorms and heavy rainfall.He was accompanied by former Panchayat member Sunny Kumar, Kuldeep Raj, Suresh Refugee and others.During the visit, Arif interacted with farmers and inspected the affected agricultural fields.
The farmers apprised him of the severe losses suffered due to the recent hailstorm and continuous rainfall, stating that waterlogging in agricultural fields had caused extensive damage to standing paddy crops, leaving many farmers facing substantial financial losses.The affected farmers expressed concern over the destruction of their crops and urged the government to provide adequate compensation to help them overcome the financial crisis arising from the natural calamity.
Speaking on the occasion, Mohammad Arif said that persistent rainfall and hailstorms had severely affected paddy cultivation in the RS Pura, Arnia and Suchetgarh sectors, which are among the important agricultural belts of Jammu district.He said farmers had invested considerable money, labour and time in cultivating their crops, and the damage at this crucial stage had placed their livelihoods under serious strain.
Arif urged the Central Government and the J&K Government to immediately constitute special assessment teams and conduct comprehensive village-level surveys to ascertain the actual extent of crop damage. He stressed that the assessment process should be transparent, timely and farmer-friendly so that no affected cultivator was left out of the compensation exercise.He further demanded adequate financial compensation commensurate with the losses suffered by farmers, observing that timely relief was essential to enable them to recover from the financial setback and prepare for the next agricultural season.
Seeking additional relief measures, Arif called for the provision of subsidised seeds and fertilisers to affected farmers for the upcoming crop season. He also advocated waiver of Kisan Credit Card loans for severely affected cultivators and a reduction in electricity charges to ease their financial burden.
He said agriculture remained the backbone of the rural economy in the RS Pura, Arnia and Suchetgarh belts, and protecting farmers’ interests was essential for safeguarding rural livelihoods and food security.Arif maintained that farmers should not be left to bear the entire burden of natural calamities and called upon the concerned authorities to respond with urgency and sensitivity.He urged the administration to ensure that compensation and other relief measures reached genuine beneficiaries without unnecessary procedural delays.