North India continues under cold wave

New Delhi / Dharamsala / Srinagar, Jan 31 : North India continues to be under the grip of intense cold wave with some parts of the country experiencing sub-zero temperatures.

As the Meteorological Department has predicted colder day's ahead. Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 3.4 degrees Celsius on Thursday.

The season's lowest was recorded at 1.9 degrees Celsius on 2nd January. Meanwhile there was a heavy snowfall in Dharamsala, which has brought hope of a delightful summer ahead. Snowfall augurs well for traders in Himachal Pradesh, where tourism and horticulture is the backbone of the economy.

"This is considered secretly a kind of a backbone for the coming summer in the area because of the coming of snow. I can say big flowering time expected in next one to two months," said Prem Sagar, a travel agent.

Meanwhile, with the drop of mercury in Srinagar, sale of Kangris or earthen fire pots has picked up.

Kangri, a traditional Kashmiri heating pot, contains an earthenware pot, which holds hot coal and is used as a portable heater during winter. The wicker basket with the coal embers is held within the folds of the long and loose pherans during winter.

"Compared to last year, this year the sale has been good. What got me 100 rupees last year fetched me 200 to 250, even 300 rupees, " said Bashir, a seller.

The Kashmir valley experiences strong winds along with snow and rainfall during the winter season that lasts from November till March and the magic of the Kangri helps ward off the cold.

Other parts of North India are also experiencing intense cold weather.

ANI