Heavy rains damage crops, affect normal life in Punjab

Amritsar, Aug.12 (ANI): Incessant rains over the past couple of days have damaged standing paddy crops, inundated roads and several houses in Punjab.

Amritsar District is among the areas severely afected by the rains.

The worst hit villages were Sur Singh and Mehndhi Pur which are close to the India-Pakistan border.

The standing paddy crop in these villages has been washed away due to excessive water in the fields.

Farmers have appealed to the government to assess the damage and to compensate them for their unexpected losses.

"Due to rains, the crops have been damaged in the low lying areas. Even some houses have also been damaged and two people have also died (due to incessant rains)," said Dev Singh Lambardar, a farmer from Sur Singh village.

The villagers lamented that the rainwater had entered several houses and shops.

"We would only like to demand that maximum compensation should be provided to us by the government. We are facing a lot of problems as the crops have been damaged and the fodder to feed the cattle has been damaged," said Trilok Singh, another farmer from Sur Singh village.

Normal life in many villages has been thrown out of gear as the roads have been submerged in water, making it difficult for people to commute.

The children in these villages are unable to attend their schools. (ANI)