Bihar reels under cold wave

The intense cold conditions continued to affect life across Bihar Monday and people are unlikely to get any respite over the next 24 hours, weather officials here said.

"Weak sun rays Monday after cloudy Sunday failed to provide any relief from cold. The icy winds with foggy conditions have forced people to stay indoor," said R.K. Mohapatra, regional weather official.

He said fog and cold wave will aggravate in coming days. "Cold wave will intensify in the last week of December."

Mohapatra said icy winds with cloudy sky will keep the cold wave condition more or less the same in the next four-five days.

Demand for woods, cow-dung cakes, room-heaters and blowers has shot up in the state.

According to officials at Patna airport, dense fog and poor visibility caused several flights to be delayed Sunday and Monday.

Dense fog has also led to late running of several long-distance trains, railway officials said here.

According to the weather officials, the minimum temperature was around 9 degrees Celsius in Patna Monday, while the maximum temperature was 21 degrees Celsius.

The minimum temperature was recorded at 8 degrees Celsius in Gaya, while the maximum temperature was 20 degrees Celsius.