With the advent of cold wave like conditions, Dehradun district magistrate Ravinath Raman directed sub- divisional magistrates, Nayab- Tehsildars, additional chief officers (district Panchayat), executive officers of municipality and Nagar Panchayats on Tuesday to make immediate arrangements for bonfire, shelters and distribution of blankets at public places under their jurisdictional areas. Around 250 blankets have been provided to the sub-divisional magistrates and they would be distributed among the poor and the homeless in their jurisdictional limits, he added.
In view of cold wave like conditions persisting in the district for the past few days, the people are choosing to remain indoors if they are not compelled otherwise. Traffic remarkably thins during the night hours when things turn chilling.
DM said that the district administrative and municipal corporation officers would jointly make arrangements for lighting bonfire at places like Clock Tower, Doon Hospital, Dilaram Chowk, Doon Chowk, Rispana Crossing, Prince Chowk, Niranjanpur Mandi Chowk and other important places. Those found sleeping in the open like bus stations, railway station and other places will be given blankets by the administrative officers, he added. He asked for a team of officials being constituted to inspect whether the instructions on lighting bonfire and providing shelters and distributing blankets to the destitute are being acted upon or not.
Meanwhile, the mercury keeps plunging low in Dehradun and other areas in the plains of the State. The Met officials said that snowfall in the higher reaches has set the mercury dipping and fog appearing in the plains. Foggy and cold wave conditions would continue over the next couple of days before things abate a bit, the weathermen said.
Dehradun recorded a maximum temperature of 20.0 degree Celsius, while the minimum temperature plunged to 6.4 degree. Mist/shallow fog may occur in some areas in Dehradun on Wednesday, said the Met officials. Ground frost would occur in some areas in hills while mist/shallow fog may engulf some others. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around 19 and 06 degree Celsius respectively on Wednesday. However, there is no forecast of rains for the coming couple of days for the plains.