Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 24: The people in several border villages, which have been hit by Pakistan shelling and firing, were worried about their standing paddy crops and some of them have started cutting the crops haphazardly anticipating that Pakistan might intensify shelling and firing on the borders, leading to loss of the crop in which they have invested very heavily.
A number of villagers in RS Pura and Arnia border belt, where the people get rich dividends for their famous rice across the world, were observed cutting the crop though it wasn’t fully ripe for.
“Knowingly that the crop was not ripe, we have started cutting it as we have fear of losing it completely as there was no let up in the shelling and firing between India and Pakistan,” said a farmer Tej Ram at village Abdullian, which was hit hard by the shelling overnight.
While some of the people were busy in shifting to safer locations for them, there were many others in the forward villages, who were taking risk of cutting the crop.
“We are taking risk on twin fronts-one cutting half ripe crop and another, of course, the Pakistan shelling which can start anytime. But, we have to do this. We have invested very heavily in this crop. If we didn’t cut, it could be lost. So, we are doing this,” said another farmer, Gurtej Singh, whose entire family was busy in cutting the crop in their village.
With shelling and firing, the labour from Bihar, which used to come to the villages these days, was also missing.
“The Bihari labourers have come to some places, while they are missing from many others as they too are afraid of shelling and firing. Due to this, the locals had to cut the crop on their own,” the villagers said.
Crop is not the only problem, the migration is another.
In many border villages, the people, who were living in extreme forward areas, could be seen shifting to safer locations-either in the houses of their relatives or their own shelter houses, which some of them had away from the borders. There were some others, who have packed up their luggage and were ready to shift anytime.
“We are shifting. We can’t stay here. We will return here only when normalcy is restored,” said Ram Pal, a border dweller of Korotana Khurd while moving along with his family to safer location.
Sources said the civil administration has opened Government accommodation and other buildings to accommodate the migrants but the people were not ready to shift in view of standing crops.
Many people told the visiting Excelsior correspondents that they wouldn’t leave their houses but keep vigil on standing crop of paddy.
The Government schools have again become casualties of Pakistan shelling and firing.
“Almost all the schools in border villages were shut today,” people said. They said even if the schools were open they won’t take the risk of sending their wards to schools for the fear of shelling and firing.
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