NEW DELHI: BJP MP Vijay Goel visited the villages in Laampur, Narela and Baakner on Sunday to take stock of the damage to crops due to the hailstorm and rain that lashed the national capital and urged the Delhi government to compensate the farmers.
Goel, a Rajya Sabha MP, saw the damage suffered by the wheat, mustard, sunflower crops that were to be cut in 15-20 days and interacted with the farmers. He was accompanied by District Magistrate Neel Daman Khatri, farmers from several villages and the heads of various panchayats. The former Union minister said at least 50,000 families in Delhi were dependent on agriculture and grew crops on land measuring a total of 1.25 lakh acres.
In a press statement, Goel said he had spoken to farmers, village pradhans and sarpanches throughout the national capital and assessed that the farmers should be paid a compensation of Rs 60,000 per acre. Heavy rains lashed the city on Saturday with such intensity that the Safdarjung weather station recorded 101.9 mm rainfall —the second-highest for the city in a day since 1992. The India Meteorological Department has forecast a slight rise in the temperature. The MeT also predicted fog for next three days accompanied by mist in the morning.