Agricultural activities along the International Border in three districts of Jammu region, namely Kathua, Samba and Jammu have come to a grinding halt owing to incessant firing and shelling by Pakistani Rangers. Pakistan has dramatically increased firing and shelling after facing surgical operation of 29th September by Indian army. In all probability, Pakistan army is under increasing pressure of public opinion believing that surgical strike of India was not fake as has been claimed by Pakistani military sources and seconded by Pakistani media. Facts about Indian army’s action and consequential losses of lives of jihadis and Pakistani soldiers are steadily trickling down from the families of the persons killed. After all Pakistan cannot block the news with the passage of time. Additionally, Pakistan wants to convince the people at home of its bravado exaggerating the losses of their counterparts on our side of the IB or LoC. This is human psychology to demonstrate more violence and aggressiveness when one is duly cornered. Anyway, Pakistanis not going to mend her ways do what we may and as such, we need to revisit our policy and strategy of dealing with this threat.
There is no doubt that owing to Pakistani Rangers’ unprovoked and indiscriminate firing and shelling of mortars on civilian population and their homes, much damage has been inflicted on the cattle wealth and to residential quarters. However, a new dimension of damage to civilians has sprung and that is damage to the standing crops. This is the harvesting time and in all border areas of the three stated districts there has been bumper crop of paddy which has to be reaped now. But owing to incessant firing of Pakistan on civilian population, much damage has been done to the standing crop of paddy. The farmers had to leave their homes and seek shelter away from the scene of firing. They had just begun to reap the paddy crop knowing that there was total uncertainty about when Pakistani Rangers would open fire. However, they were still in the midway of reaping the crops when Rangers again opened fire and the farmers had to leave the cut as well as the sanding crop in the field and run for life.
Now these crops are vulnerable to two types of damages, one from the enemy shelling and the second from not being cut at proper harvesting time which would mean that the crops gets damaged and spoiled. Harvesting means a lot for the farmers. It is their earnings for the whole year, the source of survival. The question is that these hapless farmers cannot be left their fate. Theirs is a national suffering since they have no role in causing this situation. It is evident that they would not want to leave their homes and live a nomadic type of life shuttling from shelter to their homes so often and so unexpectedly.
The matter of concern is that the damage to standing crops owing to enemy shelling and inability of the farmers to reap the crop for fear of enemy firing, is a threat of starvation for the farmers. This category of damage does not come under any item for which the Home Ministry would extend support to the affected farmers. Normally financial support is given for militancy and security related matters. There is no mention of any aid to the farmers whose standing crops are damaged owing to shelling and owing to their inability to reap the crops. We are informed that the State Agriculture Department has ordered conducting survey of the concerned border areas in the respective tehsils of three affected districts. As per the official figures, a total of 17,742 hectares of area having standing paddy crop has been affected due to shelling and firing by the Pakistani Rangers. The majority of the affected area falls in Jammu district followed by Samba and Kathua districts.
In Jammu district, the farmers could not harvest crop on 13,322 hectares in Arnia, Suchetgarh, R S Pura, Mandal, Marh, Khour, Akhnoor, Samwan and Pargwal blocks while as in Samba district standing crop on 3770 hectares has remained unattended till date and in Kathua district crop on 650 hectares of land has been affected due to shelling and firing. In Kathua and Samba districts, the most affected areas are Hiranagar, Madeen, Rajpora and Ramgarh.
According to the figures, crop on over 45% area has been affected in Arnia, Suchetgarh, R S Pura, Samwan and Pargwal blocks. In view huge damages to the crops, affecting the survival of the farmers in these districts, it is necessary that the Government takes cognizance of the plight of the farmers which has been added because of flight of non-state labourers who used to be employed by the farmers for helping in agricultural activities. They left because of constant firing by Pakistan thus endangering human life. We strong recommend the State and the Central Governments to obtain official report from the revenue department about the damages and formulate a mechanism of sanctioning financial support to them as early as possible.
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