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16 freeze to death in Uttar Pradesh

School timings in Punjab rescheduled

New Delhi: Icy north westerlies coupled with dense fog took 16 lives in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday as the cold wave receded slightly in some places of North India. Two more deaths were reported from Bihar. Meanwhile, the cold wave conditions abated from parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi.

However, piercing cold continued in other parts as the temperature stayed low, although the mercury slightly rose at several places following cloudy weather. With mercury staying at below normal levels in Uttar Pradesh, the intense cold continued to wreak havoc with human life in the State, claiming 16 lives overnight, taking the season's toll to 138.

Two deaths each were reported from Gorakhpur, Agra, Hardoi, Sultanpur, Jhansi and Unnao and one each in Sitapur, Lalitpur, Mahoba and Ferozabad.

Damage to crops

Severe cold wave prevailed in all divisions of the State and barring Bareilly, night temperatures stayed at below normal. The lowest minimum of one degree Celsius was recorded in Agra and Sultanpur, which was six and eight degrees below normal, Met Department told UNI. The chilly winter has caused substantive damage to standing crops including potato in Ferozabad and Etah district. A high- level team has been sent to Etah to ascertain the damage to potato crop.

Educational institutions have been closed in Farukhabad, Hardoi and Agra districts, while school timings have been rescheduled in other districts including Allahabad.

Patna witnessed the coldest day of the season with mercury plummeting to 4 degrees. Thirty-seven people have died in the cold wave in the State.

Two fresh deaths were reported in Bhagalpur district. Vaishali district registered the maximum number of 21 deaths followed by Nawada eight, Patna three, Raxaul two and Darbhanga one.

Five people died due to cold and fog-related accident in the plains of the north-west region while higher reaches in Himachal Pradesh had another spell of moderate snowfall during the past 24 hours.

Certain areas in the plains experienced foggy weather in the morning leading to poor visibility at Pathankot, Adampur, Ambala, Sarsawa, Hindon, Bhatinda,Chandigarh and Palam in Delhi.

Chilly winds blew across Patiala despite slight increase in the temperature in Punjab, recording 3.6 degrees Celsius, three degrees below normal while Ludhiana registered 4.9 degrees, one degree below normal. Amritsar showed a low of 3.6 degrees.

Chandigarh also registered increase in the mercury by three degrees but the temperature kept low as cold surface winds lashed the area during the day. The city recorded 5.0 degrees which was still two degrees below normal.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Government has re-scheduled the school timings in view of the intense cold spell prevailing in the State.

Now classes in all schools in the State will be held from 10a.m.to 2p.m., State Education Minister Harnam Das Johar said in Ludhiana. UNI

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16 freeze to death in Uttar Pradesh
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