The poor are braced for the worst amid dipping mercury and bone-penetrating cold waves in this winter in Dhanbad and Bokaro districts. Many huddle around small fires burning scrap wood, tyres and garbage’s to generate a little heat and to keep themselves warm.
life of the poor across the districts are a grim struggle for survival, but piercing chill this winter has made potentially deadly ordeal. Many of them are homeless, migrated to cities from their villages in search of employment facing very hard time to as they bed down anywhere they can avoid the attention of the police or criminal gangs; forced to spent sleepless night.
The cold wave is likely to continue for a few more days. Snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir, Himanchal Pradesh and other northern regions of the country is said to have caused the mercury to dip, said a Met department official.
Gomia in Bokaro district recorded a minimum of 4 degrees Celsius with one of its other locality, in the hilly terrain, shivering at 1.5 degrees Celsius. Though Bokaro and Bermo town recorded 4 degree, officials said.
More than 6 people have died of cold as thousands of the poor sleep in the open with nothing more than thin blankets to keep them warm in duo cities. Meanwhile foggy weather has affected railway and bus services too. Attendance in offices has declined in many parts of the districts.
During morning hours the fog engulfed most of the parts of the State, visibility reduced to even less than 25 metres especially in hilly terrains, said the official. Dipping mercury also hits vegetation in the districts and may harm to the standing rabi crop worth of lakhs, said a district agriculture official. “Rabi crops, including mustard and its varieties, and leafy vegetables in several hectares of cultivable land wilted in the pricing cold if such condition continues for more days”, added the official.