Himachal Pradesh will become the first state in Asia to benefit from the merits of an anti-hail gun for the apple growers in the state. The equipment has been tested and an installation worth Rs 3 crore has been set up in Shimla. Hail guns have been installed in three different locations, while the radar is setup at Kara Patther. When the radar detects hail clouds, the guns automatically fires in a radius of 3 kilometres to turn hail into rain. Explaining when the anti-hail guns will start functioning and what efforts the State government is taking to help the apple crop reach markets in a better way, Horticulture Minister Narender Bragta said:
The equipment has already been tested successfully and the instrument shall start functioning in March-April during the blooming period of apple trees. The state will create a special road corridor for the trucks carrying the apple crop to markets without traffic conjunction and free movement during the monsoon.
