Unseasonal hail, rain batter Raj, ravage crops

Jaipur/Bhilwara/Kota: An active western disturbance triggered unseasonal rain, gusty winds, and intense hailstorms across several districts of Rajasthan Monday, disrupting normal life and devastating ready-to-harvest rabi crops. The meteorological department warned that moderate showers and dust storms are likely to continue across the Jaipur, Bikaner, Jodhpur, and Kota divisions Tuesday.The sudden weather shift inflicted severe agricultural losses, particularly in the Bhilwara, Kota, and Bundi districts. In Bhilwara, maize-sized hailstones and dust storms lashed the Shahpura, Kotdi, and Asind regions around 4:30 pm, flattening wheat and gram crops. Responding to the crisis, Bhilwara district collector Jasmeet Singh Sandhu instructed all tehsildars to begin girdawari (crop damage assessments) from Tuesday. He appealed to both insured and uninsured farmers to register damage complaints within 72 hours via the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana toll-free number (14447) or at local agriculture offices.In Bundi's Nainwa, Hindoli, and Dabi regions, farmers reported extensive damage to both standing and harvested wheat and garlic crops. Bablu Saini of Thikerda village said his standing wheat crop across four bighas of land was severely hit, lamenting that "the wheat now would lose shine to devalue it." Saini said he did not have crop insurance to make up for the loss. Another farmer, Jeetmal Gurjar of Kangriselor, echoed these concerns and demanded immediate govt aid.Urban areas also faced significant weather-related disruptions. In Kota, strong winds uprooted trees, causing hour-long traffic jams. In the city's Rampura market, a solar panel was blown off a hotel roof and crashed onto the nearby Shri Brij Gopal Ji Temple, damaging railings and water tanks. Despite the turbulent weather, Kota and Chittorgarh remained the hottest cities in the state, recording maximum temperatures of 37.0°C.Meanwhile, Jaisalmer and parts of the Jodhpur division were swept by fierce afternoon dust storms. Bikaner, Churu, and Nagaur recorded light to moderate showers. Jaipur woke to dense cloud cover and a minimum temperature of 24.7°C, though rainfall in the capital was restricted to scattered drizzle in outskirts like Bagru, Bassi, Kanota, and Hathoj.