Chandigarh, July 19, 2023:(PTI) The Haryana government has set a compensation rate of Rs 15,000 per acre for crops damaged in the recent downpour in the state, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Wednesday. Twelve districts are flood-affected, he said.
Several districts of Punjab and Haryana were battered by a heavy downpour last week that paralysed daily lives and flooded vast tracts of residential and agricultural land.
Khattar told reporters that 35 people were killed in the heavy rain spell and said Rs 4 lakh will be given as compensation to the kin of each victim.
Panchkula, Ambala, Karnal, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Panipat, Sonipat, Sirsa and Yamunanagar are among the districts that have been declared as flood affected. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force and the Army were called in for relief and rescue, the chief minister said.
Khattar said 6,629 people were taken to 41 relief camps. At present, 1,774 are still living in the camps while the rest have returned home.
The heavy rain caused extensive damage to crops, Khattar said, and announced a compensation of Rs 15,000 per acre for 100 per cent damage.
The rain completely damaged crops on more than 18,000 acres. The paddy crop can be resown by July 31 on lands from which the water has receded, he said.
Regarding infrastructure damage, Khattar said 1,142 kilometres of 990 roads were affected by the floodwater, adding that it will require Rs 230 crore to repair.
The rain also damaged 3,369 electric poles and 1,470 transformers, he added.
