LUCKNOW/AGRA: The toll in the cold wave sweeping across Uttar Pradesh has risen to 38 with the death of four more people even as potato cultivators in Agra district said about 25 percent of their crop has been destroyed.
Four people died Wednesday in different parts of the state due to the severe cold conditions, officials at state capital Lucknow said on Thursday.
With the mercury dipping to 2.8 degrees Celsius, Meerut was reported to be the coldest city in the state Wednesday, followed by Agra, where the minimum temperature was 3 degrees.
A bright sun did bring some respite during the day, but nights continued to remain bitterly cold.
In the state capital, the minimum temperature rose to 5.4 degrees as against Tuesday night's 3.8. However, local authorities have advised schools and educational institutions to relax uniform regulations so as to ensure that students are properly clad.
In Agra, district magistrate Mukesh Meshram Thursday ordered the closure of all schools for the rest of the week.
Officials are making sure that bonfires are lit in public places to provide some relief to pavement dwellers.
Potato cultivators in Agra district have been hit hard because of the cold spell, which has damaged up to 25 percent of the crop, according to reports from Khandauli and Fatehabad blocks.
Till last week, farmers were hopeful of a record bumper yield this year, but their hopes have been dashed by the cold.
Anil Sharma, a potato cultivator of Shamshabad, told, "The plants have turned dark black. Those farmers who had watered their fields have not been affected. But right now there is a problem of both diesel and power. We cannot run tube wells. The fields need continuous water supply if the crop is to be saved."
"Agriculture department officials had been issuing warnings and guidelines but the sudden rise in temperature around Christmas made the farmers complacent," said agricultural economist BB Barik.
In Bharatpur in Rajasthan, the minimum temperature went down to 0.5 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. The meteorological department has predicted that the cold wave will continue for a few more days.
