No let up in heat wave in UP, power woes continue

Extreme heat wave conditions continued in most parts of Uttar Pradesh with the mercury climbing steadily with Mahoba being declared the hottest district Friday. The maximum temperature in Mahoba was recorded at 48.4 degrees Celsius.

Day temperatures in the state hovered around 46 degrees Celsius in most places including the state capital of Lucknow.

Temperatures significantly soared in Agra, Unnao, Kanpur, Bareilly, Kannauj, Mainpuri, Muzaffarnagar, Deoria and Gorakhpur and humidity levels were also high.

The Met office said the weather will remain very hot for the next few days and humidity will add to the peoples woes.

Regional Met director J.P. Gupta, however, said that the monsoon, after hitting the Kerala coast earlier in the day, was "on schedule" and in all likelihood will reach the eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh June 15.

Power outages in many parts of Lucknow and other districts worsened the heat wave conditions with power cuts extending from 8-10 hours.

People at many places took to the streets and protested in Triveninagar, Munshi Puliya of Lucknow and also in Balrampur where powermen were held hostage.

"Power situation remains grim," admitted an official, adding that, "only a change in weather and arrival of rains could take off some load."