Heat wave: Odisha schools declare summer vacation

With the mercury showing no signs of subsiding, the Odisha government on Monday announced summer vacations in schools from April 26.

"We took the decision as the Met department forecast that the mercury would hover around 42 degrees Celsius at several places in the state," said Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra.

The schools will reopen after the Raja festival, in the third week of June, as usual, he added.

He said extra classes will be held to compensate for the loss of studies incurred due to the early holidays.

The schools were already closed till April 20 in view of the intense heat wave in the state -- the closure was extended to April 26 as there was no let up in the scorcher.

Mohapatra, however, said the schools can conduct scheduled examinations in the morning and evening.

Bhubaneswar Met department director Sarat Chandra Sahu said the state would experience heat wave in coming days even though there is a possibility of kalabaisakhi (Norwester) in some parts of the coastal belts on April 26.

Notably, the western Odisha town of Titlagarh has been recording highest temperature across the country since last three days.

It recorded 48.5 degrees Celsius on Sunday, breaking the record for the month of April in the state.

The SRC office has received reports of death of 88 people due to sunstroke so far.

"We have received reports of 88 deaths due to sunstroke. We have inquired 32 cases by district collectors while four death cases have been confirmed so far. Other cases are being inquired into," said Mohapatra.

--IANS

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