Cold kills 20 more in UP, toll 89

The plains of Uttar Pradesh continued to reel under severe cold wave conditions on Tuesday with 20 more people dying in the last 24 hours taking the toll this winter to 89.

Icy winds blew across the central and eastern districts of the state and cloudy skies greeted the people in the morning.

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While four persons each died in Bareilly and Maharajganj districts, three each died in Moradabad and Azamgarh, two in Mau and one each in Ghaziabad, Aligarh, Bulandshahr and Allahabad districts, reports reaching Lucknow said.

Night temperatures fell in Varanasi, Allahabad, Lucknow and Faizabad divisions, Met office sources said, adding that Gorakhpur recorded the lowest temperature of 4° Celsius, while Lucknow recorded a low of  7° Celsius.

No let up in cold was expected in the next 24 hours, the Met office said.

The state government has directed district officials to make special arrangements for the poor and the homeless. Temporary shelters with bonfires are being set up all over the state.
 
The inclement weather and poor visibility also affected road and rail traffic with several trains running late by five to 15 hours, railway sources said.

Allahabad District Magistrate R N Tripathi has ordered closure of all schools and colleges in the district till January 3, 2004.