Haryana braces for more locust attacks

Amid the possibility of more attacks by the swarms of locust, Haryana Agricultural Minister Jai Prakash Dalal informed that under the surveillance of CM Khattar, the ministry to hold a meeting with senior officials on July 17.

Chandigarh (Haryana): A meeting with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and other senior officials will be held on July 17 to discuss locust attacks in the state, said Jai Prakash Dalal, State Agricultural Minister on Thursday.

"Senior government officials will meet today to discuss the situation, and tomorrow we will have a meeting with the Chief Minister to further decide what steps have to be taken. We have been told by the Centre to expect more attacks in the next few weeks, so we have to stay prepared," Dalal said.

Over the last week, six districts in Haryana were attacked by locust swarms but did little damage owing to the state's preparedness, the state's agricultural minister said.

"We have been able to successfully control the locusts by using drones and tractor-mounted sprayers. Border districts like Sirsa, Charkhi Dadri, Palwal, Fatehabad and all others have been issued an alert to be prepared for the locust attacks.

(ANI report)