Delegation of Ministers assess damage to crops hit by untimely rains in Telangana

The Meteorological Centre in its weather forecast and warnings said thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, gusty winds 30-40 kmph and hailstorms are very likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of Adilabad, Asifabad and other areas from 1730 hours on Friday to 0830 hours on Saturday.

A delegation of Telangana ministers on Friday took stock of crops damaged by unseasonal rains and hailstorms in Vikarabad district.

The team comprising Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy, Education Minister P Sabitha Indra Reddy, and officials inspected the damaged agriculture and horticulture crops in Marpally and Mominpet mandals in the district, an official release said.

The team visited the farmers and reassured them in the wake of the crop losses, which occurred in about 2,000 acres, it said.

According to a weather report of IMD here, heavy rainfall was recorded at isolated places in Khammam and Mahabubabad districts on Thursday. Enkuru in Khammam district received 9 cms of rainfall followed by Garla in Mahabubabad district with 7 cm of rainfall, it said. The Meteorological Centre in its weather forecast and warnings said thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, gusty winds (30-40 kmph) and hailstorms are very likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of Adilabad, Asifabad and other areas from 1730 hours on Friday to 0830 hours on Saturday. It further said thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, gusty winds (40-50 kmph) and hailstorms are very likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of Nirmal, Nizamabad, Jagtial and others from 0830 hours of March 18 to 0830 hours of March 19. Expressing anguish over the crop losses suffered by the farmers due to unseasonal rains and hailstorms, State BJP President Bandi Sanjay Kumar demanded that the state government provide financial assistance to them.