(HT)
At least 22 people were killed in different parts of the state as heavy rain, accompanied by hailstorm and lightning, lashed several parts of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, according to the relief commissioner’s office.
Lucknow received 13 mm rainfall, which brought relief from heat but it also resulted in a host of problems, including waterlogging and power supply disruption.
Three people each were killed in Fatehpur and Azamgarh districts, two each in Firozabad, Kanpur Dehat and Sitapur districts, one each in Ghazipur, Gonda, Amethi, Sant Kabir Nagar and Siddharth Nagar districts and one loss of life has occurred in Ballia, Kannauj, Barabanki, Jaunpur and Unnao districts due to lightning, the relief commissioner’s office said.
Ordering prompt relief measures, chief minister Yogi Adityanath has given instructions to immediately distribute the permissible relief amount of ₹4 lakh to the families of the deceased. Expressing condolences to the bereaved families, he has directed officials to provide proper treatment to the injured and provide permissible assistance to those affected.
The chief minister said the officials should visit the affected areas and keep an eye on the relief work.
In view of the ongoing government procurement of wheat, full care should be taken for safe storage of wheat at all purchase centres, including mandis, the chief minister said.
He asked officials to conduct a survey, assess the crop loss and send the report to the government, so that further action can be taken in this regard.
He also directed that in case of water logging, arrangements for drainage should be made on priority.
Besides the death of 22 people, 45 animal fatalities and 15 houses were damaged in the state on Thursday, according to the details provided by the relief commissioner’s office.
Firozabad’s additional district magistrate (ADM) Vishu Raja said two people were killed due to lightning strikes in the district.
Lalita Devi, a 30-year-old pregnant woman, died after being struck by lightning in Daulatpur village in the Narkhi area, while Padav Veer Singh (32) was killed in Chinari village in the Jasrana area.
The ADM said the family members of the deceased will be given financial assistance.
Ghanshyam (40), a labourer, died after being struck by lightning in Siddharthnagar. The incident took place in Gaura Mangua village when Ghanshyam was going for work, the officials said.
In Sitapur, two people died in separate incidents due to heavy rain and lightning strikes.
Harishchandra, 25, died due to a lightning strike in Moch Khurd village when he was working in his field, while 55-year-old Kusuma Devi died when a wall collapsed on her due to heavy rain in Rasoolpur village.
In Sant Kabir Nagar, a 19-year-old woman, Aarti, died after being struck by lightning in Malauli village, located within the Bakhira police circle.
“Around 10 am, Aarti, the daughter of Baburam, was working in the field when she was struck by lightning,” circle officer Sarvdaman Singh said.
In Amethi, 60-year-old Prabhawati was killed after being struck by lightning.
Station House Officer (SHO) of the Amethi Kotwali police station Brijesh Singh said the incident occurred when Prabhawati was working in her field.
In Kanpur Dehat, two farmers, identified as Rajendra Kumar, 55, and Hori Lal Rathore, 60, died due to lightning strike in separate incidents at Bhikhar village under Shivli police station limits and Dalikpur Maharaj village under Rasulabad jurisdiction.
Shivli station house officer Harmeet Singh and tehsildar Santosh Kumar confirmed the deaths.
Due to storm and lightning, 17 animals were killed in Ghazipur district, six in Chandauli district, five in Ballia, three each in Ambedkarnagar, Balrampur and Gonda districts, two in Sultanpur district, one each in Amethi, Kannauj and Gorakhpur districts and three animals have died in a fire in Fatehpur district.
Two houses each have been damaged in Ghazipur, Sultanpur and Lakhimpur Kheri districts and one house each in Ballia, Gonda, Barabanki, Ambedkarnagar, Gorakhpur, Auraiya, Hardoi, Lucknow and Mau districts. There is a provision of giving compensation of ₹37,500 for loss of large milch animal, ₹4,000 for loss of small milch animal, ₹32,000 for loss of large non-milch animal and ₹20,000 for loss of small non-milch animal.
Thunderstorm and rain in eastern Uttar Pradesh caused concern among farmers since harvest of the Rabi crops, especially wheat, is going on.
District agriculture officer, Varanasi, Sangam Singh said, “If the farmers, whose crops have been damaged due to the current unseasonal rain, have insured their crops under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, then register the information on the toll-free number-14447 within 72 hours of crop damage. If there is any difficulty in giving information on the toll-free number, then give written information to the district agriculture officer or deputy agriculture director’s office, so that compensation can be provided through the crop insurance company as per the rules.”
In Prayagraj, after three days of strong surface winds, the weather took a turn from Thursday with sporadic light rain witnessed in many areas of the city.
