BARGARH: Two siblings suffered a loss when nearly seven acre of their standing paddy crop was destroyed in a fire at Jhar village under Sohela block on Saturday.
Villagers suspect that the fire may have been deliberately set by miscreants. Netrananda Debata and Lalit Debata had cultivated paddy on the land and were scheduled to start harvesting on Monday. However, in the afternoon, locals saw smoke emanating from the fields. Soon, locals and the two farmers rushed to the spot and found the standing crop engulfed in flames.
The fire fighters reached the site soon after and with the assistance of villagers, managed to bring the fire under control. By then, however, a substantial portion of the ripe paddy crop had been reduced to ashes.
The mishap left the two farmers devastated as they were planning to to repay loans and meet household expenses from the sale of the paddy. “We will appeal the tehsildar for a thorough assessment of the loss and extend compensation accordingly,” said Binay Debata, a relative of the two farmers.