Farmers Left in Lurch as Standing Wheat Crop in Acres Gutted

High-speed and short circuits in electric lines spark a series of fires

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A series of devastating fire incidents have gutted thousands of acres of standing wheat crop across Punjab and Haryana over the past week, leaving hundreds of farmers in distress. The initial reports suggest that most of the fires were triggered by high-velocity winds and short circuits in electric lines destroying months of hard labour just days before harvest.

Exact figures are not available for the gutted fields but the reports suggest that thousands of acres of standing wheat crop and crop residue were reduced to ashes in the past one week in both the leading agrarian states. In Punjab, the worst-hit districts include Bathinda, Mansa, Sangrur, Barnala, Muktsar and Fazilka. Unconfirmed reports said in Bathinda and Mansa alone over 1,000 acres have been destroyed in a span of three days, while Sangrur and Barnala districts each reported damage to around 500 acres.

Similarly, in Haryana, fire incidents in Hisar, Kurkshetra, Kaithal, and Sirsa, Fatehabad, and Jind districts have damaged close to 2,000 acres of ripe wheat crop and crop residue.