Fire guts crop, farmers blame fire dept for delayed response

Kanpur: Wheat crop standing on around three ‘bighas’ of agricultural land was destroyed in a fire that broke out at Arshadpur village in Shivli Kotwali police area of Kanpur Dehat district on Sunday.
The cause of the fire, however, is yet to be ascertained. Farmers expressed displeasure over alleged negligence by the fire department, because despite their alert, fire tenders did not reach the spot to douse the fire. The farmers put out the fire by their own means and after a lot of effort. Farmers have sought compensation for the crop loss. At 10.30 am, the fire first broke out in Sarman’s field and gradually took a formidable form reaching the adjacent fields of Bharat and Rakesh. Villagers working in their fields rushed to the site and tried to put out the flames. They said the district authorities should initiate action against the fire department, because the authorities there didn’t pay any heed to their distress calls. Also, they demanded, the administration should provide adequate compensation to those who suffered loss due to the fire.
Sub-divisional magistrate Maitha Jitendra Katiyar said Lekhpal Sujit Kumar has been sent to assess the losses and on the basis of the report, due compensation will be provided.