As many as 984 villages in Madhya Pradesh were hit by recent hailstorms that caused extensive damage to crops, an official said on Friday. Villages in Sehore, Bhopal, Hoshangabad, Shivpuri, Ashoknagar, Raisen and other districts in the state were lashed by hailstorms between Sunday and Monday.

State Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan yesterday held a meeting here and took a review of the post-hailstorm situation. He directed the officials to estimate the crop damage in a transparent manner, a public relations department official said. During the meeting, Chouhan was informed that 984 villages were affected by hailstorms, he said.

"The CM directed that teams conducting survey of the affected villages should consist of officials of agriculture and panchayat department, revenue department, sarpanchs, panchs and other public representatives, so that farmers do not have any complaints with the crop loss estimation," the official said. The chief minister said that lists of farmers, who have been affected by the hailstorms, should be put up on the walls of panchayat bhavans and other public places, he said.

"Objections received should be redressed immediately and amendments should be made in the report. He asked the officials to ensure that the affected farmers receive compensation," the official said. The meeting was attended by Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Rampal Singh, state Chief Secretary B P Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance, A P Shrivastava, Agriculture Production Commissioner P C Meena and others

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