Fire destroys wheat crop on 500 kanals in border areas of Jammu

(R.S.Pura) Jammu, April 24 (ANI): Wheat crop spread over at least 500 kanals have been destroyed here in a fire incident, suspected to have occurred due a short-circuit in power transmission wires in 11 villages, situated on the Indo-Pak International border area in the Jammu district's R.S.Pura Tehsil.

The incident has spoiled all hopes of farmers of having a good yield this time.

Earlier this week, three incidents of devastating fire in different villages of R.S. Pura and Vijaypur already damaged the matured wheat crop on nearly 350 kanals.

The villages, where fire played havoc for the farmers include of Badyal Brahmna,Badyal Qazian, Kir Pind, Tende Symbol, Agra Chak, Goh-Brahmna, Kotala Badyal and 4 villages of Suchet Garh sector.

Farmers said that the incident occurred due to the negligence of the Power Development Department. They said loose transmission wires passing over their fields were not placed in order despite repeated requests to the authorities concerned, as every year standing crop of wheat and paddy on hundreds of kanals of land get reduced to ashes.

Aggrieved farmers rued that during all these incidents; fire tenders never reach the fields in time. As there is only one fire fighter for 200 villages of RS Pura.

"We have suffered loses of thousands of rupees, we were hoping that we will be able to clear all the debts after harvesting our wheat crop but like every year our hopes are reduced to ashes as we have to still pay for the fertilizers and for sowing. Every year our crop gets destroyed due to loose electric lines. Now we hope and demand that at least Govt. should help us by giving some compensation, so we can pay our debts for fertilizers," said a farmer of Badyal Brahmna Vijay Kumar.

H.S.Mann, Fire Service Officer, said, "We have noticed that main cause of fire is due to loose electric wires causing short circuit and irresponsible attitude of some people's smoking Beedi and cigarettes in the fields which result in devastating fire." By Tahir Nadeem Khan (ANI)