Spark from electric cable joint destroys 13 bigha of standing crop in Pilibhit

Pilibhit: Standing wheat crop of three marginal farmers was reduced to ashes in Pilibhit’s Pareva Vaishya village under Jahanabad police station on Monday evening after catching fire from a spark at a loose contact point of a high tension power cable running over their fields.
The fire fanned by a wind and dry weather spread rapidly, completely destroying the standing wheat crop, claimed Tabish Khan who owns six bigha of farm land, Ubaish Khan three bigha and Navi Sher who has four bigha of land.They said their wheat was not covered under any crop insurance scheme.
They alleged the power department had turned a deaf ear to their repeated complaints about loose electricity wiring points and the hazard posed to their crops.
The trio claimed the fire brigade was informed immediately but they arrived late. By that time, locals helped to douse the fire. Had they depended on the fire brigade, the fire would have spread to a vast area, causing extensive damage.
Ram Das. SDM of Amaria tehsil circle, said the area lekhpal would be sent to the spot to assess crop damage for consideration of reparation.