More than half of February is still left. The Director General of the Meteorological Department, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, has already predicted what the weather will be like this month. The prediction is that in most parts of the country, temperatures will be higher than normal, while rainfall will be below normal. This weather pattern will prevail in northwestern India and Punjab. Even before Punjab and most of northwestern India have fully recovered from the misfortune of dense fog, this new prediction is creating new anxieties. Such predictions worry farmers the most, especially regarding the quality of their crops.
Experts say that if this weather continues, it will negatively impact the Rabi crop, particularly wheat. Wheat grains begin to form in the ear of the wheat plant in mid-February, initially in a liquid state. Now, with the prediction of above-average temperatures, there is a risk of the grains drying out. This will result in smaller wheat grains. This has happened three times before. Will Punjab’s wheat crop suffer the same fate for the fourth time? Earlier, Punjab’s paddy crop also suffered the ravages of floods. Floods struck, a Chinese virus spread, and as a result, paddy production fell from 185 lakh tonnes to 156 lakh tonnes.
Now, if the same fate befalls the wheat crop, consider this: this region is the largest contributor to the government’s regular procurement program. It is on the strength of this regular procurement that cheap wheat is distributed to 80 crore people in the country. If the wheat crop is also affected, this news is disheartening. For the past two months, this region has experienced extreme weather conditions, including excessive fog. Transportation was disrupted, accidents occurred, and people lost their lives.
The tourism industry suffered separate losses. The dry winter spread diseases. Reports indicate that in the past two months, during this extreme weather with low temperatures, no rain, and dense fog, 87 people lost their lives in eight districts of Punjab. Of course, awareness campaigns were launched to combat this situation. Seminars were held, reflectors were installed on vehicles, but accidents still couldn’t be prevented. Now, if the forecast indicates less rainfall and better temperatures in the coming days, why not take advantage of this weather to survey the national highways, identify and rectify the black spots? Reports indicate that there are illegal cuts on the highways in Doaba, including Phillaur, Bhogpur, and Phagwara in Jalandhar. Accidents frequently occur at these locations.
Many places lack traffic lights. These illegal cuts should be removed, lights should be installed, and the black spots should be fixed. There is also talk of widening roads in Malwa and Majha, but the pending work remains pending. Recently, Rs. 540 crore was allocated for the roads in Doaba alone, but the work is progressing slowly. The incomplete construction at Adampur on the Hoshiarpur road has been waiting to be finished for years. Due to dilapidated roads, the number of people injured in accidents in northwestern India is increasing every year.