TOBA TEK SINGH: Intermittent hailstorm, heavy rain and windstorm pounded more misery on farmers by causing extensive damage to wheat, vegetable crops and citrus farms in different parts of the district on Tuesday night.

Reports from dozens of villages around Gojra, Toba, Kamalia and Pirmahal suggested the storm had flattened the wheat crop grown over a large area.

Pakistan Kissan Committee leader Chaudhry Naeem Fateh told this correspondent that gloom prevailed in the area as farmers were expecting good returns due to a reasonable support price.

He urged the Punjab government to declare the affected areas of the district as calamity hit and waive their watercess and income tax.

Kinno and mango orchards have also been badly affected. Asif Mahboob, an orchard owner of Chak 397 JB, said his four acre farm had completely been destroyed as hails made holes in the kinnos while some citrus and mango trees were uprooted.

At harvesting stage, tobacco crop in villages 291 GB, 284 GB, 335 GB, 361 GB, 336 GB and some other Rajana villages was also damaged. Vegetable and fodder crops had also been affected.

The power supply remained suspended for more than 17 hours in the city. In several villages, it was yet to be restored as several poles and transformers were uprooted.

Citizens complained that load fluctuation damaged their home appliances.

Dozens of localities were inundated with rain water in the city. Hundreds of birds were found dead due to hailstorm.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2021