Crops worth Rs 893.93 crore damaged in Madhya Pradesh hailstorm

BHOPAL: Around 2,44,615 hectares of land in 3,190 villages of 31 districts has been affected with the recent hailstorm in Madhya Pradesh, according to a survey conducted by the state revenue department.

The hailstorm occurred in various parts of the state between March 14 and 17.

It caused damage to crops worth about Rs 893.93 crore and the affected districts have so far demanded compensation worth Rs 136.81 crore from the revenue department.

At least 32 people and 294 livestock died in the hailstorm, official sources said.

Five districts - Vidisha, Shajapur, Seoni, Guna and Rajgarh - have been severely affected by hailstorm, according to the survey.

Crop loss is to the tune of Rs 301 crore in Vidisha, Rs 213.61 crore in Rajgarh, Rs 87.17 crore in Seoni, Rs 68.16 crore in Shajapur and Rs 46.01 crore in Guna district.

So far, Vidisha Collector has sent to the state government a demand of Rs 44.15 crore for distributing compensation, Guna Rs 14.76 crore, Shajapur Rs 14.53 crore, Rajgarh Rs 10.85 crore and Seoni Rs 10.80 crore.