Maharashtra hailstorm leaves three dead, crops damaged

Hailstorm over central regions of Maharashtra — Marathwada and parts of Vidarbha— have claimed three lives. State officials said they have ordered an assessment of the damage caused.

An official said that the hailstorm started at around 7.30 am and continued for the next 30 minutes. According to officials, two men from Jalna and a woman from Washim died in it.

“Namdev Shinde, a 65-year-old farmer, from Vanjar Umrad village in Jalna tehsil, and Asaram Jagtap, from Nivdunga village of Jafrabad tehsil, died on Sunday due to hailstorm in the Jalna district. As many as 180 villages from Jalna are badly hit,” said Shivajirao Jondhale, Jalna’s collector. “Yamunabai Humbad fromWashim district died when she was at her farm,” said another official.

“The hailstorm has severely damaged crops including grapes, cotton, green gram and wheat, among others. A sizeable loss of cattle and poultry has been reported. The damage assessment report will be finalised in the next couple of days,” said an official from Aurangabad. Maharashtra’s Agriculture Minister Pandurang Fundkar said, “Every affected village should be visited, the losses should be documented and a report must be filed. The officials can email their final report to the state government.” He said a meeting with crop insurance companies would be held at the Mantralaya on Monday.

Many districts such as Beed, Osmanabad, Latur, Nanded, Parbhani, Hingoli, Dhule, Nandurbar and Aurangabad had also reported heavy rains on Sunday morning, officials said.

Senior Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said the victims should get compensation before the start of the state’s Budget session, scheduled for February 26.

The India Meteorological Department had issued an advisory that a hailstormlike situation might develop over parts of Maharashtra. Taking note of which, the state government had asked farmers to be prepared for the untimely rains and hailstorm.