Jammu: Expressing concern over the losses caused to horticulture by snowfall in the Kashmir valley, the CPI (M) State Secretary and MLA Kulgam Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami on Tuesday demanded immediate compensation to the affected farmers and orchardists.
Thousands of fruit and other trees are reported to have suffered massive damages due to latest snowfall, witnessed throughout Kashmir valley. There should be immediate assessment of losses suffered by the farmers on account of this snowfall, Tarigami demanded.
The CPI (M) leader said that thousands of apple trees have either been broken or uprooted due to snow. The government must depute an expert team to assess the losses especially in South Kashmir which has been the worst hit, the CPI (M) leader demanded further.
He demanded early relief to the affected orchardists and farmers. He said the CPI (M) has since long been demanding for implementation of crop insurance scheme in the state to benefit the farmers’ community in the event of such natural calamities.
He said people in the valley had been already bearing the brunt of hard winter supplemented by the scarcity of essential commodities and other daily needs. He urged for sensitising the administrative machinery to come to the rescue of the affected people and make immediate efforts to restore the essential services and make assessment of the losses caused to horticulture and other sectors.