Temperature dips, cold wave grips Ludhiana

As a cold wave continues to sweep parts of Punjab, residents in Ludhiana on Wednesday morning were seen lighting up fire to keep themselves warm.

The city recorded a minimum temperature of 8 degree Celsius today.

"After many years we are witnessing this level of cold. Every day, the temperatures are dipping lower and lower," Shyam Lal, a local said.

People were seen sitting in a group around the bonfire, sipping tea to keep themselves warm.

"It has become difficult for us to leave our houses and go to work. There are issues in travelling too. So, today we have lit a fire and it feels better," another local said.

Meanwhile, in Shimla locals and vendors said they were facing a number of problems to sell the items on the roads.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Ludiana is likely to witness fog or mist in the morning and cloudy sky for the next week.

"Isolated pockets over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, northern parts of Madhya Pradesh and Bihar are likely to receive severe cold day today," the forecast agency in its All India Weather Warning Bulletin said.

"Dense fog likely in isolated pockets over Punjab in the morning hours of December 21 and December 22," it added.