Heat wave intensifies in Odisha

The heat wave across Odisha intensified Friday, with two towns recording maximum temperature of 45 degrees Celsius, an official said.

The two towns were Sonepur and Titilagarh in Bolangir district, an official of the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre told IANS.

Other places, which recorded high temperatures were Hirakud and Sambalpur towns (44.4 degrees Celsius each) the industrial town of Talcher (44), Gopalpur (43.3), Jharsuguda (43.1) and Bolangir (43), the official said.

State capital Bhubaneswar recorded 42.6 degrees Celsius, he added.

People stayed indoor, commercial activities remained standstill and roads wore deserted look in several places when the heat was at its pick.

In Bhubaneswar, hundreds of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists staged a demonstration in front of the office of a power supplier to protest frequent power cuts.

The official said the heat wave condition would prevail in many parts of the state during next two days although a few places are likely to witness thundershower and rain.

Meanwhile, officials said the number of deaths due to sunstroke this summer in the state has remained at 25 as no new death has been reported since past one week.