Chandigarh, Apr 15 (IANS): Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday expressed concern over the statewide incidents of fire in wheat crop. He demanded a compensation of at least Rs 25,000 per acre for the crops destroyed by the fire.

In a statement, Hooda said hundreds of acres of crop was destroyed in Rohtak's villages alone. Likewise, crops were destroyed in Hisar, Jind, Jhajjar and Fatehabad districts.

"Fire broke out in many places due to yesterday's thunderstorm, short-circuit and other reasons. In such a situation, efforts should be made to increase awareness among farmers and the public by the government. Farmers need to be more careful about this," he said.

The Leader of Opposition said the Fire Department should increase its capacity in summer so that more and more vehicles can reach the spot, if needed, and farmers can be saved from losses.

"Today the crop is neither safe in the field, nor in the mandis. No arrangement has been made to cover the crops lying under the open sky," he added.

Hooda demanded Rs 500 per quintal bonus to the farmers on the minimum support price MSP of wheat.

The government has hiked the MSP for wheat by Rs 40 to Rs 2,015 per quintal and for mustard seed by Rs 400 to Rs 5,050 per quintal for the current crop year.

Hooda also demanded a law to guarantee MSP in the interest of farmers. "The farmers should get MSP under Swaminathan commission's C2 formula, only then will farming become profitable for farmers," he stated.