The New Indian Express News

Dense fog and severe cold wave hit normal life in Bihar, red alert issued for 12 districts

PATNA: Normal life in Bihar has been largely hit by dense fog and severe cold wave conditions, prompting authorities concerned to change the timing of schools for children. Severe cold wave condition is expected to persist till December 22. Bihar deputy chief minister Samrat Chaudharys helicopter could not take off due to bad weather conditions and poor visibility. He was scheduled to attend official functions at Sugauli and Raxaul in East Champaran district. According to authoritative sources, a pair of flights of Air India from Patna to Delhi and vice versa was cancelled, while 16 pairs of flights got delayed due to bad weather conditions and poor visibility in Patna. Similarly, more than 12 trains were running behind schedule. Officials said that the trains, including Vibhuti Express, Shramjivi Express, Sampoorna Kranti Express, Barauni-Danapur Memu, Vaishali-Kodarma Fast Memu, Danapur-Jhajha Fast Passenger and Bhagalpur Garib Rath Express, were running from three hours to 30 hours behind schedule. According to notifications issued by the authorities, classes in schools will run from 9 am and 4.30 pm till December 27. The order will apply to all government and private schools across the State. However, pre-board and board examinations have been exempted from the new order. The school authorities have been asked to adhere to the order strictly, failing which action would be initiated against them as per the rule. Humidity levels have crossed 90 per cent, significantly narrowing the gap between maximum and minimum temperatures. A red alert has been issued for 12 districts of north Bihar, warning of extremely dense fog and severe cold wave conditions. In addition, a yellow alert has been issued for 24 other districts, including Patna, cautioning residents about cold weather conditions. The State witnessed a sharp drop in both day and night temperatures, throwing normal life out of gear. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cold spell is expected to persist until December 22, with the possibility of a further decline in temperatures. The districts largely hit include West Champaran, East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Vaishali, Samastipur, Siwan and Gopalganj. In these districts, extremely dense fog is likely to disrupt road traffic both during the day and night hours. Travelling by road will be risky under such conditions, said a police officer assigned to regular traffic in Muzaffarpur in north Bihar. He said an advisory has been issued for vehicle drivers. A yellow alert has been issued for 24 districts, including Patna, Gaya, Bhagalpur and Purnea. In Araria, two youths were killed in a head-on collision between a speeding car and a motorbike. The third person injured in the accident has been admitted to a local hospital.