Death toll in cold wave in northern India crosses 125
New Delhi: With temperatures dipping below normal and snowfall witnessed in the upper reaches of Himachal Pradesh and the Kashmir valley, normal life was disturbed for the fourth consecutive day and over 125 deaths were reported from
across the country. Around 40 deaths
were reported from Uttar Pradesh during the last twenty-four hours. Eight people
died in Bihar and two deaths were reported from Haryana. Bihar Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar has ordered all schools to be closed for three days from today in
view of the cold. In Rajasthan, light showers led to a further dip in temperature
with mercury dripping up to seven degrees in Pilani and Dholpur and are below
ten in rest of the State. In Punjab, all schools have been closed till January
8 due to cold. The officials of the Meteorological department said that the cold
waves have swept Himachal Pradesh due to heavy snowfall in the upper reaches.
While rains lashed the lower areas, breaking the long dry spell and bringing cheer
to farmers ahead of Rabi sowing, Shimla had a sunny morning after a night
temperature
of 2.1 deg C. A large number of tourists thronged Kufri, 16 km from here, to enjoy
the season's first snowfall. In Uttarakhand, rains and snowfall intensified the
cold conditions affecting normal life. Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of
9.6 degree Celsius, while morning mist reduced visibility to 1,000 meters, but
there was no disruption in flight operations at the Indira Gandhi airport. The
traffic was suspended on the 300 kilometer Srinagar-Jammu national highway on
Monday due to slippery conditions caused by heavy snowfall, leaving hundreds of
trucks, passenger buses and tourist vehicles stranded.
