Raiganj: After a long spell of hot weather, a hailstorm lashed some parts of Islampur and Goalpokhar-I blocks of North Dinajpur district on Tuesday morning. Crops and vegetables suffered damage due to the sudden hailstorm. Maize, along with vegetables like chili, ladyfinger, gourd, and tomato crops, have been affected owing to the hailstorm, which lasted nearly an hour. Darivit and Kalnagin villages of Islampur and Nandajhar of Goalpokhar-I are the worst affected.
Nishikanta Sinha, a resident of Islampur, said, "In the morning, the sky suddenly turned dark. A sudden hailstorm lashed out. Rain continued for nearly an hour. The rain was welcome after such a long spell of heat. It brought much-needed relief. However, crops have been destroyed in many places.” Dipanwita Barman, BDO Islampur, said, "Maize cultivations have reportedly been affected in some places of Darivit and Kalnagin villages in Islampur. However, no loss of life has been reported owing to the storm.”
Kaushik Mallick, BDO Goalpokkhar-I, said, "Hailstorm affected some villages including Nandajhar this morning. Maize, vegetables, and mango reportedly have been damaged. The block-level detection management team has reached the places to prepare a report on the extent of damages.”