Srinagar, June 3 -- Following a severe hailstorm that devastated orchards and farmlands across several areas of south Kashmir, fruit growers have condemned the meagre compensation provided, saying it amounts to "rubbing salt on their wounds" given the extent of their losses, which run into crores.

Speaking to the news agency-Kashmir News Observer (KNO)< growers from Chitragam and surrounding areas in Shopian district expressed their anger, saying the relief of only a few thousand rupees is grossly insufficient.

Bashir Ahmad, a fruit grower from Zainapora, said, "This compensation of three to four thousand rupees is like rubbing salt on our wounds. We have lost produce worth lakhs; this relief doesn't even cover the cost of a single fung...