Maha CM Fadnavis visits hailstorm-hit Nashik, assures help to farmers

Mumbai, Dec 14: A day after unseasonal rains and hailstorm damaged cash crops across seven tehsil towns in Nashik district, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday visited the affected regions and said a separate financial package for the affected farmers.

Fadnavis visited Niphad, Dindori and Chandwad towns in Nashik district which were badly affected by the hailstorm.

Fadnavis assured farmers that a separate package for the rainfall-affected will be announced during the ongoing winter Assembly session in Nagpur.

"The farmers affected by the recent hailstorm will be provided a suitable compensation by the state government. We will announce a financial package in the ongoing Assembly session," he said.

Malegaon, Yeola, Nandgaon and Devla tehsils were other regions where farmers were severely hit. "Our government stands by the farmers and extends complete support to them," Fadnavis said.

According to reports from district headquarters, cash crops like wheat, grapes, pomegranate, onion and chillies nearing harvest, were extensively destroyed in the heavy rains in the district for the last two days.

Fadnavis said the state government will work with the meteorological department and develop technology to pre-empt such hailstorms in future.

"We will use technology to limit the losses done by nature. We will work with the meteorological department and try and develop a technology which will tell us if there is going to be a hailstorm at a particular place. That will help us limit losses. If required we will even take help from the Centre," he said.

PTI