Northwest, Delhi reel under intense cold

New Delhi, Jan 12 (UNI) With icy winds from Jammu and Kashmir descending on the Capital, Delhiites experienced another chilly day as the mercury dropped to seven degrees Celsius, while people in Northwest India continued to reel under an intense cold wave.

Cold surface winds blew across the plains in Punjab where Amritsar with 1.5 degrees turned out to be coldest place.

Night temperatures also dipped in Haryana, turning Narnaul in Mahendergarh district the coldest place in the state, recording 4.0 degrees.

Cold conditions prevailed in many areas of Himachal Pradesh. A piercing cold wave swept the tribal districts of Lahaul Spiti and Kinnaur and Pangi and Bharmour areas in Chamba district, where the minimum hovered below freezing point.

In Kullu, clear sky in the night caused harsh cold and left water taps frozen. Bhuntar in Kullu district recorded a minimum temperature of 1.4 degrees. The famous tourist destination of Rohtang Pass inLahaul was witnessing light snowfall, reports said.

Shimla and its surrounding areas also reeled under cold climatic conditions with the minimum temperature recorded at 1.2 degrees.

Chandigarh recorded a drastic fall in the minimum temperature which appreciably increased at 5.0 degrees.

Meanwhile, two-way traffic resumed on the 300 km Srinagar-Jammu National Highway this morning after all heavy vehicles, stranded since January 7, were cleared till last night.

Army authorities announced additional ex-gratia relief of Rs 50,000 each to the next of kin of porters killed in snow avalanches in Uri sector in Jammu and Kashmir.

Rains or snow have occurred at isolated places in Jammu and Kashmir and rain or thundershowers have occurred at isolated places in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya.

Mainly dry weather prevailed in Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, West Bengal, Sikkim, Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Night temperatures were appreciably to markedly above normal in some parts of Assam, Meghalaya, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Bihar, east Madhya Pradesh and Marathwada.

UNI Team BDP RN1915