Acres of Harvested Paddy Fields Burnt to Ashes: Farmers in Tears, Unsure How to Repay Loans
Kakatpur (Tushar Dixit), 23/12: The golden harvest has turned to ashes as a devastating fire engulfed fields of paddy ready for threshing. What was once a season of hope and reward has now ended in sorrow for the farmers. Acres of paddy have been reduced to soot by the flames, and now the farmers are left staring helplessly at the charred remnants, uncertain about their future.
The incident took place on Saturday afternoon in Beguniabasta village under Alangapur Panchayat of Astaranga block in Puri district. The fire broke out in harvested paddy fields and rapidly consumed the entire area. Just days earlier, the farmers had reaped their crop with great joy, but their happiness was short-lived. According to locals, an unidentified miscreant allegedly set the crop on fire during the afternoon, and the flames spread so quickly that it was impossible to control the damage immediately.
Upon receiving information, the Astaranga fire brigade rushed to the spot and managed to bring the blaze under control, but not before the fire caused significant destruction. Entire fields, cultivated through months of labor and hardship, were left in ruins. The affected farmers are now deeply distressed, wondering how they will repay the loans they had taken to support their agricultural activities. Everything they had built with effort and hope has now been reduced to ashes.
In this moment of crisis, the affected farmers have appealed to the government for immediate financial assistance and compensation. Meanwhile, Astaranga Tehsildar Priyanka Priyadarshini Pati stated that an assessment of the losses is currently underway and that appropriate support will be provided to the farmers as soon as possible.
